Redemption
by honalooloo
Summary: FIRST FANFICTION. Set after Series 3 of CBBC's Young Dracula. Life is good at Garside Grange- Sethius has been ashed, the Praedictum Impaver has been destroyed and Bertrand's unceremonious kidnapping of Erin has been forgiven if not forgotten. But this is the Dracula family- and nothing stays peaceful for long when they're around... Vlad/Erin COMPLETE- SEQUEL IS UP
1. Chapter 1

_DISCLAIMER: I own none of the Young Dracula characters or locations etc. The only thing I own is the plot of the story._

_Enjoy (hopefully)!_

Chapter 1

"The Battle of the Somme commenced on the 1st July 1916. Zero hour was set for 7:30am; however an 18,000kg mine was detonated beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt ten minutes prior to zero hour. This was to prevent any injuries to the advancing British troops from the blast. The brain-child of Sir Douglas Haig, the battle lasted until the 18th November 1916…"

Vlad was bored. He knew all about World War One; Bertand had told him plenty of stories, most regarding the draining of injured troops in the field hospitals. He smiled as he watched Erin scribbling fiercely, her head bent over her notes. The winter sun poured in through the classroom window, bouncing off Erin's hair and making it glint like spun gold. Vlad knew _he_ ought to be making notes- this topic would come up in the exam, he was sure- but how did the History teacher expect him to concentrate when his girlfriend was sat right in front of him?

"Vladimir Count!"

A voice jerked Vlad out of his reverie. He looked around wildly for the source of the noise, his eyes finally resting on the History teacher, Mr Jackson, who was stood by the projector at the front of the class.

"While I understand that the Battle of the Somme may not be a riveting topic for the young teenage mind, I would have thought that it would be a sight more interesting than the back of Miss Noble's neck!"

Erin started, a flush creeping up her face as she turned around to give Vlad a reproachful look. He winked at her, and she supressed a giggle.

Mr Jackson, however, was not amused.

"I apologise if I am stealing time away from love's young dream," he drawled sarcastically, his eyes flashing dangerously, "But I am not standing here for my own amusement. When I teach, Mr Count, I expect you to _listen_. Is that quite clear?"

"Yes, Mr Jackson," Vlad mumbled, feigning sheepishness. He could practically feel the heat rising from Erin's face; she hated it when their relationship was discussed in public.

Mr Jackson's piercing gaze lingered on the young vampire for a few seconds more, then he continued with his class. Vlad made an effort to concentrate on the battle plans being displayed by the projector, but he couldn't keep his mind from wandering back to Erin. She really did look adorable when she blushed, and Vlad smiled slightly; it made him want to kiss her breathless.

The rustle of paper brought him back to the classroom; a note had been slipped onto his desk. Vlad smirked as he opened it, positive he knew who it was from- and he wasn't disappointed.

_You idiot! At least make an effort to make your own notes; it wastes so much time when you have to copy up from mine._

Vlad supressed a laugh. Grabbing his biro, he scribbled back to her.

_Time that could be spent doing what, might I ask, Miss Noble?_

He poked her in the back with the biro and returned the note. Erin narrowed her eyes; she hadn't been expecting a reply. Vlad watched her as she opened it, and very nearly laughed out loud when she grabbed her fountain pen in a fury and threw her reply over her shoulder to him.

_Get me into trouble one more time today, Vlad, and I'm warning you- you won't like it._

Vlad couldn't help himself- he had to reply. Erin was so easy to wind up- and she was so cute when she was all hot and bothered.

_What are you going to do? Refuse to kiss me? Maybe I'll just have to bite you instead…_

Erin gasped- Vlad really was pushing his luck today.

A sentiment echoed by Mr Jackson.

"VLADIMIR COUNT!" the teacher shouted, looking livid. "HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO A WORD I'VE BEEN SAYING ALL LESSON?"

"Of course I have, Mr Jackson," Vlad replied lazily. "You know me: you couldn't distract me from one of your lessons even if you tried." He noticed Erin discreetly slip the note into the pocket of her blazer as he spoke.

"I have had just about enough of you and your lip for today, Vladimir. Pack your bag and wait for me in Miss McCauley's office." More than happy to oblige, Vlad shoved his belongings into his school-bag and swung it over his shoulder. He made his way to the classroom door, glancing backwards at Erin, a gesture which did not go unnoticed by Mr Jackson.

"And from now on, you and Miss Noble will sit on opposite sides of the room in my lessons. If you want to ruin your own education that's your affair; I will not, however, tolerate you ruining another student's." Vlad merely looked at him, before strolling out of the classroom, making sure to leave the door wide open behind him. He heard it slam as he reached the end of the corridor, and smirked.

"Messing about in History class? That's not like you, Vlad."

Vlad jumped. He hadn't noticed Bertrand, who was leaning nonchalantly against the wall of the corridor.

"Didn't think _you'd_ be bothered," he replied coolly.

"Oh, I'm not. In fact, I'm rather pleased."

Vlad snorted. "It won't give me more time to train, if that's what you're thinking. I'll still have to go to the lessons, right up until the end of this year." Vlad and Erin were currently in what breathers called Year 12, which meant that they were preparing for their AS examinatons. It was unlikely that the Count would let Vlad sit them, though; after all, it wasn't like he'd need them as Grand High Vampire.

"Oh, I know. I'm just glad to see that you're not taking school too seriously," said Bertrand. He shifted his position slightly. "Erin, on the other hand-"

"What about her?" Vlad cut in sharply. Bertrand smirked.

"She can't get enough of school, can she? Always handing in her homework on time, getting the top grades. And with her dyslexia, too- that shows real dedication."

"What's it to you?" Vlad narrowed his eyes; Bertrand normally only mentioned Erin in order to criticise her.

"It's just- she looks on course to do well in her exams, doesn't she? She'll want to finish her A-levels, maybe even do a degree afterwards? I'm just saying, Vlad- she's got a bright future ahead of her. Do you really want to be the one to deprive her of that?" Bertrand paused, letting his words sink in. "I'll see you in the training room at eight." And with that, he disappeared.

Vlad felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him. How could he have been so stupid? Of course Erin would want to complete her A-level studies; Bertrand was right, she was a bright girl. She hadn't let her dyslexia hold her back, and university was certainly within her reach if she wanted to go. And why wouldn't she?

The bell rang. The colossal scraping of chairs from the surrounding classrooms, coupled with shouts from teachers about homework handing-in dates, echoed around the school. Vlad knew he ought to get to Miss McCauley's office before Mr Jackson did. Hopefully he'd be able to put his own spin on the story and talk both he and Erin out of trouble.

But Bertrand's words wouldn't stop echoing around his brain. _Could_ he really be depriving Erin of a bright future, one a girl in the vampire world could only dream of? Vlad sighed. He couldn't think about that now. Bracing himself for a lecture, he walked slowly towards the headmistress' office, trying to force both Erin and Bertrand out of his mind.

_TBC..._


	2. Chapter 2

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter, especially yeknodettil and Toyrah for pointing out my mistake! I've corrected it and hopefully it won't happen again. I would also really appreciate some advice on chapter length- I don't want to make them too long so that they're boring or too short so that you're not getting enough of the story. Enjoy this chapter!_

Chapter 2

"How did it go?"

Erin looked at Vlad expectantly as he entered the dining room. Dropping his bag on the table, he sat down heavily in the chair next to Erin and sighed.

"Not too badly- Jackson exaggerated, as always, but I managed to talk Miss McCauley round."

Erin grinned and shook her head, returning to her Biology homework. Ever since Vlad's encounter with the mirror he'd been a lot more daring. The teachers found it exasperating, the Count found it insolent- but she, Erin, found it exciting.

"They didn't give you a detention, I hope."

"Course not," Vlad replied, stretching, "I was just told to 're-assess my attitude'." He watched Erin for a few minutes. She had made considerable head-way with her Biology essay; a good two-thirds of the page had been filled already. "When did you turn into such a swot?" he teased, nudging her so she blotted the paper. Erin gave him a look, drew a neat line through the ruined word, and continued.

Vlad felt irritated; they had been working all day, couldn't they enjoy some alone time whilst they had the dining room to themselves? He drummed his fingers on the dining room table, blowing his fringe out of his eyes and humming slightly. He half-glanced at Erin; she wasn't rising to his bait.

He decided to go in for the kill. Catching her off-guard, Vlad dived in for a kiss. He pressed his lips to hers, gently nipping her bottom lip to persuade her to open up.

Erin, however, was having none of that. She pushed him away, despite his groans of protest, and brought her History notes out of her bag. "If you're that desperate for something to do, you can copy these notes up. You know the Somme will come up in the exam, it's about time you took an interest."

Vlad reluctantly heeded her words. He'd have to copy up some time; he might as well do it now whilst Erin was working too. For a while, there was silence in the dining room except for the scratching of Erin's fountain pen and the flurry of turning pages.

"I want to talk to you about something," Vlad said, after twenty minutes of silent work.

"Can't it wait?" Erin asked, without looking up. "I've only got half a page to go."

"No!" Vlad snapped, a little more aggressively than he'd intended. Erin looked up, surprised at his tone, and placed the lid on her pen.

"Go on, then," she said, a little frostily.

"It's about university." Erin stared at him.

"Don't be silly, Vlad. You become the Grand High Vampire at eighteen; you can't rule whilst you're studying for a Maths degree."

"Not for me," Vlad said hesitantly. "For you."

"For me?" Erin paused. It sounded as if she'd never even considered the possibility before. "I'm dyslexic, Vlad, I'd never get in," she said briskly, "Besides-"

"That girl in Year 13, Anna Bushton, she's just been accepted into Cambridge to study English Literature. _She's_ dyslexic." Vlad could tell he'd stumped her there.

"She's a genius, though, Vlad," Erin said finally, "Much cleverer than me."

"Maybe. But you're a worker. You haven't let dyslexia hold you back. Plenty of dyslexic people go to university; if that's all that's stopping you-"

"It's not." Erin snapped. "It's just a lot to think about, alright? University was never an option when I was growing up. Slayers don't have them."

"Well, you've got that option now," Vlad told her gently. "Just promise me that you'll think about it?"

"Vlad, I-"

"Please?" he asked, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes. "For me?" Erin laughed at his expression.

"If I promise, will you shut up so I can finish this essay?"

"You have my solemn word," he said, grinning.

"Fine," she conceded, "But we've got plenty of time to think about the future." She gave him a quick kiss, and returned to her essay. Vlad watched her, a sad smile playing on his lips. She might have plenty of time to think about the future; he, however, only had a matter of months.

* * *

"You're late," Bertrand growled, pointing at the training room clock.

"Only five minutes," Vlad protested. He had found himself unable to tear himself away from Erin until the last minute; they had been playing a crazy game of truth or dare, the majority of the dares involving kissing each other.

"Well, we'll just have to run five minutes over to make up for it, won't we?" Bertrand smiled in satisfaction; Vlad scowled.

"For your information, I was actually having a very important conversation. I couldn't just leave in the middle of it." It was half true- though the conversation had been with tongues rather than words.

"Oh, really? What about?" Bertrand asked.

"Never you mind," Vlad replied huffily. He just wanted to get the night's training over with so he could get back to Erin.

"It wouldn't have been with your girlfriend, by any chance, would it?" Bertrand smirked. Vlad scowled again, but at least Bertrand had called Erin his girlfriend rather than 'that slayer girl'.

"As a matter of fact, yes it was. Now, are we training tonight or chit-chatting?" Vlad began to move towards the punching bag.

"Hold on! You need to warm up first." The pair began to stretch, Vlad deliberately avoiding Bertrand's eyes. The interest his tutor was taking in his girlfriend was slightly unnerving, especially as he had made no secret of his dislike for her. It was only a few months ago that Bertrand had kidnapped Erin and tried to use her to open the Praedictum Impaver. But no-one talked about that…

"Vlad? You with me?"

"What?" Vlad asked, confused. He needed to stop spacing out like this.

"I said what did Erin think about university? Is she going to give it a go?"

Vlad was definitely starting to get suspicious now. Bertrand's tone was indifferent, but that didn't mean anything.

"I don't think that's any of your business," he replied coolly. "What Erin wants to do is her decision; no-one else's."

"No need to get your cape in a twist, Vlad," Bertrand said cheerfully, "I'm only interested. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Come on- I should think you're warm enough now to give the boxing a go." He moved over towards the punching-bag. Vlad pulled on his gloves, his mind working overtime. Bertrand was being… almost _nice_ about Erin. He certainly wasn't being horrid, and for Bertrand that was almost the same thing. But Vlad didn't trust him; for all his smiles and cheery words, Vlad knew from experience that leopards didn't change their spots. Certainly not this quickly. Ingrid was a prime example of that. Vlad made a mental note to keep an eye on Bertrand from now on; he didn't want anything else untoward happening. Not when everything seemed to have finally settled down again…

_TBC..._


	3. Chapter 3

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't believe I've posted twice in one day! I'm just really getting into this story now and ideas keep coming to me. I did have a plan for it but after I wrote the first chapter it all sort of went out of the window... anyway, enough of my waffling. Enjoy Chapter 3!_

Chapter 3

"You coming, Erin?" Vlad shouted through the door.

"Give us a sec!"

"Come on!" He had been standing outside her door for the best part of ten minutes, waiting to go down to breakfast with her. Finally, after a particularly loud rumble from his stomach, he flung the door open… and stopped dead in the doorway.

Erin was stood in her underwear.

She shrieked when she saw Vlad, grabbing her pyjama top out of her coffin and clutching it to her chest. Unfortunately, this did little to cover her body, and Vlad was still able to see her pale legs, petite waist and most of her stomach. Finally coming to his senses, he turned on his heel and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

He leant back against the wall, closing his eyes. If he had been mortal, he would've been panting. Fortunately for Erin, he hadn't seen much of her chest; only a glimpse of a lacy black bra before she had managed to cover it. It still didn't leave much to Vlad's imagination.

He had just seen his girlfriend in her underwear for the first time.

This was a big step for the couple; Erin hadn't even seen Vlad with his shirt off. Vlad just hoped that she wasn't too angry- he knew girls could be very sensitive about their bodies. She had nothing to be worried about, though; she was, in Vlad's opinion, quite beautiful.

The body of a woman yet the mind and experience of a girl.

Erin was Vlad's first girlfriend, and he was positive that he was Erin's first too. Many of their classmates had 'done the deed' by now, but Vlad was determined not to put any pressure on Erin. She wanted to wait, and Vlad agreed with her decision; he wasn't in any rush.

He heard Erin's door creak, and he stepped away from the wall. She emerged from the room (now fully dressed), her face and neck burning fiery red. She focused on a spot slightly to the left of Vlad's head, and asked it slightly breathlessly:

"Shall we go down then?"

She obviously wanted to pretend that the incident had never happened. Vlad felt slightly relieved- he certainly didn't want to have a conversation like that at this time of the morning.

"Course," he said, smiling, trying to dispel any awkwardness. Erin smiled back tightly and rushed on ahead, walking so quickly that Vlad could barely keep up with her without using his powers. He cast around desperately for something to say that might ease the tension between them. He settled on Bertrand.

"Bertrand's been acting a bit weird lately, hasn't he?"

"Weirder than usual, you mean?" she replied, grinning. Vlad gave a mental sigh of relief; she obviously wasn't going to lecture him on the importance of knocking.

"He keeps asking about you. In fact, it was him who suggested university."

Erin stopped in her tracks. "You're kidding?"

"Nope," Vlad said, shaking his head. "It gives me the creeps when he's nice."

Erin giggled. "He's probably feeling guilty, Vlad. You know- for all that Sethius business." She had started walking again.

"I don't think Bertrand does guilty," Vlad said grimly.

"I'm not so sure. Think about it- if he hadn't been so desperate to open that book, then Sethius wouldn't have appeared and all those vampires wouldn't have been ashed."

"Yes… but then we wouldn't have the Truce with the slayers," Vlad reminded her.

Erin snorted. "Like he cares about that. The more the chaos, the better, for him. Maybe he's being nice to try and make up for kidnapping me," she said thoughtfully.

Vlad raised his eyebrows sceptically. As far as he'd seen, Bertrand had never shown an ounce of regret for kidnapping Erin. "It all sounds a bit un-Bertrand-ish to me," he said finally. "And anyway," he continued, in a harsher tone, "He's going to have to say a lot more to make up for _that_."

Erin stopped again, placing her hand on Vlad's arm. "Let it go, Vlad," she said softly. "I have."

Vlad spluttered indignantly. "_What_?" he said, incredulous. "Erin, he- he tied you up! He tried to use your blood to take over the vampire world!"

"Like I said, he's probably feeling guilty," Erin reasoned calmly. "And look how far we've all come since then. No more slayer attacks, no more staked vampires. If having to be kidnapped by Bertrand has helped to reach peace, then it was worth it."

Vlad shook his head. "You're too forgiving for your own good." He leant in, capturing her lips. The kiss was soft and gentle, a silently apology to her for leaving her unprotected that night.

"Eugh- get a room," Ingrid said irritably, pushing her way through them and breaking the kiss. She stalked to the end of the corridor and out of sight, obviously on the way to breakfast herself. Erin blushed again, embarrassed that their intimate moment had been witnessed by Vlad's sister.

Vlad laughed. "You could fry an egg on your face," he commented dryly. Erin punched him lightly on the arm, and he grabbed her hand, all tension between them forgotten. "Come _on_," he urged, "Else Wolfie will have eaten all the toast."

* * *

They breakfasted quickly; after the morning's incident, they were cutting it rather fine if they wanted to avoid the wrath of their form-teachers. After two slices of toast, Erin scraped back her chair.

"I promised Becky that I'd get in early to look over her Biology essay- I'll see you in English?"

"Great," Vlad said, trying to finish his cornflakes as fast as he could. "Have a good morning."

"You too," Erin replied. She glanced around at the rest of the family; they were all busy with their own breakfasts. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then darted out of the room. Vlad re-focused his attention on his cereal bowl, but he couldn't stop himself grinning like an idiot.

After breakfast, Vlad sped back to his room to pick up his school bag. However, he found the door of his room blocked by his older sister.

"Yes?" he asked her testily.

"You'd better hurry up, Vladdy," Ingrid drawled, "You wouldn't want to be late, would you- not after yesterday?"

"Well I'd have a better chance of arriving on time if you weren't _blocking the door_," he ground out. "And how do you know about yesterday, anyway?"

"_Please_, Vlad," she said smugly, "I know everything that goes on around here."

"Out of the way, Ingrid," Vlad said coldly. He wasn't going to rise to her bait.

Ingrid changed tack. "So you've got time to snog your girlfriend but none to talk to me?"

"If you've got something to say, say it, else get out of my way!" Vlad shouted, exasperated. He wouldn't be surprised if Ingrid was just doing this to wind him up.

Ingrid smirked- she'd riled him at last. "Only have a nice day." She gave him a sickly sweet smile then disappeared.

Vlad was seething- he was going to be late. Grabbing his bag, he stormed out of his room and made his way downstairs. It was only twenty to eight and already things were going wrong.

_TBC..._


	4. Chapter 4

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1._

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to all who have read and reviewed this story so far. This chapter, however, is especially for HyaHya; I've been rehearsing for a show all evening so I've had to burn the midnight oil to get it done, but I hope you enjoy it!_

Chapter 4

"Vlad! Vlad, slow down, for goodness sake!"

Vlad turned, and his face broke into a smile as he saw his girlfriend walking towards him. The corridor was heaving with students, but he managed to push his way through them to get to her. He opened his arms and embraced her, smelling her hair and letting her sweet scent wash over him. He'd missed her- it sounded stupid, he'd only seen her at breakfast- but it was true.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to see you in English, one of the Year 13s wanted a word with me." Erin pulled away, smiling apologetically up at him. Whilst the pair had both English Literature and History lessons together, Erin was in Biology when Vlad was in Maths and Psychology when he was in French. Vlad was hopeless at French, he always had been, but he knew a basic understanding of the language would be vital when meeting foreign vampires.

"It's alright, I managed to survive without you- just," he teased, "I thought I was going to have to talk to Becky, though, can you imagine?"

Erin poked him in the ribs. "Don't be so mean!" she scolded. "She's just a bit… _forward_, that's all. She's alright once you get to know her."

"I'll take your word for it," he said darkly. "We going for lunch, then? I'm starving."

"When aren't you?"

"Hey," Vlad said, pretending to be serious, "A growing vampire needs his food."

"Not from this canteen, he doesn't; not if he doesn't want high cholesterol before the age of eighteen," Erin shot back.

"I never knew you were such a snob, Miss Noble."

"I never knew you were such a greedy-guts, Mr Count."

The pair stared at each other for a moment, before Vlad finally gave in. "Fine, you win," he conceded, "My place it is."

"I'm only joking; we can go to the school canteen if you want. In fact," she said, leaning slightly closer to Vlad, "I'd actually prefer it if we went there. I'd like to avoid being overheard by your family."

Vlad's eyebrows shot up- had Erin unearthed something that would shed some light on Bertrand's strange behaviour?

After paying for their lunches, Vlad and Erin sat down in a corner of the canteen. Erin stirred her soup to cool it, whilst Vlad attacked his fish and chips. He wasn't normally a fan of breather food, but for some reason he loved the salty taste of this particular dish.

"So," he prompted, "What's this big secret that nobody can hear but me?"

Erin began tearing up her roll into little pieces, dropping each one individually into the soup. "It's not really a secret," she began, "It's just- private."

Vlad nodded, his interest spiking. "Go on, then," he urged her. "Shock me."

"It was Anna Bushton who I was speaking to in English. You know, the dyslexic girl who's going to Cambridge?"

Vlad felt his heart sink slightly. He had been so sure that Erin had found some information about Bertrand. Shaking off his disappointment, he tried to look interested. "Oh yes?"

"She was telling me all about the process of applying to universities. You have to fill in these things called UCAS forms and…"

Vlad felt himself glazing over. In all honesty, he wasn't really interested in the story of how some Year 13 had gotten into Cambridge. He wanted to know what was going on with Bertrand- it had plagued him all morning.

"Vlad? Are you listening to me?"

He looked at Erin sheepishly. He hadn't been listening to a word she'd been saying for the last five minutes.

"I thought you would be interested," she said quietly.

"I am!" Vlad said defensively. "I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment."

"That's fine," Erin said, though from the tone she used it was very clear to Vlad that it was not fine. She began playing with her soup, splashing the now soggy bits of bread around the bowl but not actually eating any of it.

"Eat it properly, Erin," Vlad snapped.

Erin scowled. "Don't treat me like a child, Vlad."

"Well, don't act like one, then."

Erin slammed her spoon down on the table. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Vlad said, getting thoroughly irritated now, "That you don't need to act like a spoilt brat just because there are more important things on my mind than how some girl I don't even know got into Oxford!"

"Cambridge!" Erin shouted. "And if you had been listening, you would know that I hadn't been telling you about her, I was telling you about what _I_ would need to do to get in!" The entire canteen was staring at them now. "I thought you were interested in helping me get to university, but obviously you're not!"

"I only told you to think about it!" Vlad yelled back at her.

"But you don't want to be involved now, is that what you're saying?"

"_No_!" Vlad shouted in desperation. "Look, Erin, don't make a scene-"

But that was probably one of the worst things that Vlad could have said.

Erin got up, swung her bag over shoulder and stormed out of the canteen. He had never seen her this angry before. The students watched her leave, then turned slowly to stare at Vlad. Not looking at any of them, Vlad grabbed his own bag and ran after her, abandoning his half-eaten fish and chips. He could hear the muttering start as soon as he left the room, but he didn't care. He needed to find Erin.

But that was easier said than done.

Vlad searched the entire school for her, thankfully having free reign of the corridors now that most pupils were at lunch. He silently cursed the female population- _why_ did they always have to take things the wrong way and make everything so complicated?

After nearly half an hour of searching, Vlad decided to give up. Garside wasn't a large school but it was almost the end of lunch, and he needed to get his things ready for his next lesson. He groaned inwardly as he realised it was History. That was all he needed.

He turned the corner, heading back to his locker, when he saw Ingrid at the end of the corridor. For once in his life he was glad to see her.

"Ingrid!" He hailed her, jogging the length of the corridor towards her. She turned to face him, eyebrows raised, a slight smile on her face.

"Yes?"

"Ingrid- can you go into the girls' toilets and see if Erin's in there? I really need to speak to her."

Ingrid smirked. She knew exactly how to play this. "Had a lovers' spat, have you? It's all over the school."

"It's none of your business," Vlad snarled at her.

"And in the canteen as well? Very public," she continued, acting as though Vlad hadn't spoken.

"Look, Ingrid, I haven't got time to chat, I'll be late for History-"

"God forbid," she drawled sarcastically.

"Will you just shut up and listen to me?" Vlad shouted at her. She merely looked at him, blinking her long, dark eyelashes in a complacent way. "Are you going to look in the girls' toilets for me or not?"

Ingrid pretended to think, relishing her brother fuming in front of her. "No, I don't think I will, thanks," she said finally, almost laughing as her brother's gaze turned murderous. "And next time," she added, "When you want me to help you, don't yell at me to 'shut up'. You might find me more co-operative." And with that, she turned on her heel and sauntered down the corridor, leaving Vlad grinding his teeth in her wake.

_TBC..._


	5. Chapter 5

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to all who have read and reviewed this story so far. I've planned out the next couple of chapters, but in all honesty I'm finding a lot of inspiration as I'm going along so I'm having to shuffle some things about a bit. The Count makes his first appearance in this chapter- I think what Keith-Lee Castle does with the character in the programme is pure brilliance, so hopefully I've been able to do him justice! Anyway, enjoy Chapter 5!_

Chapter 5

Erin turned up to History ten minutes late. Mr Jackson had already begun the class; today, he was teaching them about the Battle of Passchendaele.

Vlad found it to be even more mind-numbing than the Somme.

Mr Jackson looked at Erin's red eyes, with the dark smudges below them from her mascara, and merely nodded. He pointed to the spare seat without commenting, which was, as promised, on the opposite side of the room to Vlad. Vlad felt a pang of guilt when he saw her- he hadn't meant to make her cry. He had just been frustrated and he'd unfortunately taken it out on her.

For once, Vlad was the one taking notes that lesson whilst Erin stared into space; he was determined to make it up to her, and he knew that helping her to catch up with the work she'd missed would be a good start.

Finally, the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson and the school day. Vlad saw Erin hurriedly cram her belongings into her school-bag; by the look of her blank note-pad, she'd written nothing at all that lesson. He quickly packed his own bag before racing out after her.

"Erin! ERIN!"

She was deliberately ignoring him. She quickened her pace, and was already half-way down the corridor before Vlad managed to catch up with her.

"Hey!" he said, pulling her round to face him. "What's with the silent treatment?"

"I thought nothing I had to say was of any interest to you," she replied coldly, hoisting her bag further up her shoulder. Vlad fought the urge to roll his eyes; he'd forgotten what a temper she had.

"Look- I'm sorry, ok?" he said gently, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He took it as a good sign that she didn't push his hand away. "I should've been listening to you. Everything you've got to say is interesting to me, you know that." He pulled her into an embrace, and after a moment he felt her relax, all tension in her muscles disappearing.

"I'm sorry, too," she muttered into his chest, "I shouldn't have stormed off like that."

"It's alright," he said, stroking her hair. He loved how silky it felt underneath his fingers. He pulled away from her. "Truce?" he asked, smiling.

"Truce," she agreed, her eyes dancing with laughter. Vlad took her hand, feeling a sudden rush of affection for the small blonde girl. He was tempted to kiss her right there and then in the corridor, but neither he nor Erin were keen on public displays of passion; a view they were positive was shared by Garside's teaching staff.

"Come on," he said to her, "let's get upstairs and change." He paused for a fraction of a second. "You look like a panda," he added mischievously. Erin looked at him for a moment, then flounced off down the corridor. Vlad's heart sank- he'd done it again- before she turned around, giggling, and ran back towards him. He ruffled her hair playfully, then led her upstairs to what he hoped would be a very long (and very undisturbed) session of making up.

* * *

"Stop it, Vlad," Erin giggled, as he tickled her stomach mercilessly. The pair were lying on the sofa in Vlad's bedroom, and he had taken the opportunity to show her exactly who was boss. Vlad knew that she was very ticklish, and she'd be at his mercy before too long. But Erin wasn't going down without a fight; she struggled fiercely underneath him, laughing hysterically, but he was too strong for her. He pinned her wrists to the sofa cushions, which at least gave her some respite from his relentless fingers.

"Hey," she protested, gasping for breath, "that's not f-"

Vlad cut her off, pressing their lips together firmly. Erin moaned as he moved his hands from her wrists into her hair, gradually trailing them down her body until they settled on her waist. Erin tangled her own hands in Vlad's black locks, savouring how soft they felt beneath her fingers.

A loud cough from the doorway brought the pair back to reality.

Erin shot up as quickly as if Vlad had burnt her, nearly knocking him off the sofa. Her face scarlet, she scrambled as far away from him as possible, nearly falling off the sofa herself in her haste to put some distance between them.

"It looks as if I'm interrupting at just the right time," the Count said, his voice glacial. Vlad rolled his eyes- he knew what his father was getting at but he wasn't going to rise to it. Erin's face was by now the shade of a beetroot.

An awkward pause followed, in which Vlad stared at the Count, the Count stared at Erin, and Erin didn't stare at anyone at all, but looked very hard at her shoes instead.

"Erin," Vlad said suddenly, inspiration hitting him, "why don't you go into the dining room and copy up my notes on Passchendaele?"

The relief on Erin's face was almost comical. She snatched up her school-bag, grabbed Vlad's, and scurried from the room. Vlad was sure he heard a faint hiss as she passed the Count.

The Count rounded on him as soon as Erin was out of earshot.

"What you do in your own time is your business, Vladimir, but I don't expect to have it forced in front of my eyes in my own home!"

"To be fair, the door _was_ shut," Vlad reasoned; however, this only served to incite his father further.

"SILENCE!" the Count roared, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. "Chosen One or not, I am still your father, and I don't expect you to answer me back!"

Vlad sighed irritably. The Count was talking to him like he was seven, not seventeen.

"Fine!" Vlad shouted, weary of the argument already, "But if it disgusts you that much then maybe try knocking first?"

"Don't push it, young man," the Count said, his voice dangerously low, "I've had just about enough of your clever remarks for today."

Vlad snorted- this was the first time the Count had seen him all day.

"Did you want something?" he asked, forcing himself to be polite, "Only I was kind of busy."

"I noticed," the Count snapped. "I know you two are supposed to be the next Edward and Bella-" Vlad had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing; his dad really needed to find something new to read- "but I don't want _that kind of thing_ going on under my roof, do you hear?"

"And what exactly do you mean by _that kind of thing_?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Vladimir."

"If you're talking about sex-"

The Count spluttered indignantly, but Vlad ploughed on regardless. "Then we haven't, alright? Erin's not ready and neither am I, for that matter. _Not_ that it's any of your business," he added scornfully.

This revelation silenced the Count for a few moments. Whilst he knew that Erin was Vlad's first girlfriend, he had no idea what Erin's previous dating life was like; however, it seemed that they were both as inexperienced as each other. He supposed that there wasn't much time for relationships when you were training to be a slayer.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," he said finally, smoothing out his cape in an attempt to look authoritative. "Just make sure it stays that way."

Vlad opened his mouth to tell the Count that he wasn't going to dictate when and how he and Erin took their relationship to the next level, but he had already disappeared. Vlad sighed and leaned back on the sofa, feeling exhausted. He could only pray that Bertrand would let him off training tonight; however, he didn't hold out much hope.

_TBC..._


	6. Chapter 6

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This will probably be my last post for a couple of days. I start back at school tomorrow, so what with homework/ rehearsals/ extra-curricular activities etc. my time to write will be greatly compromised. However, expect to see two, maybe even three chapters next weekend! Oh and one more thing- I was listening to a song called 'Just A Kiss' by Lady Antebellum yesterday and it really reminded me of Vlad and Erin. Youtube it if you get a minute! Enjoy Chapter 6 :)_

Chapter 6

Vlad entered the dining room cautiously, glancing around to see if Bertrand was lurking in the shadows. He was in luck, however- Erin was the room's sole occupant. She was just finishing up, and Vlad smiled inwardly as she took great care to pack _his_ bag yet just shoved everything haphazardly into her own. He crept up behind her, enjoying her slight gasp of surprise as he slipped his arms around her waist.

"All finished, then?" he asked.

"Just about," she said, pushing his arms away gently so she could face him. "Is your dad very angry?"

"Nah," Vlad answered breezily, "Not now I've put him straight on a few things."

Her eyes narrowed. "What sort of things?"

Vlad paused- he was wondering how to phrase this delicately. "Bedroom things," he said finally.

Erin still looked confused, before comprehension dawned on her face.

"Oh my- no way- he thought- oh my God…" She moved away from Vlad, looking absolutely mortified.

"Hey, it's alright!" Vlad tried to reassure her. "He's fine now he knows we're not going at it like rabbits." Erin glared at him, clearly not impressed by his choice of wording.

"I still can't believe he saw us," she groaned. "He's going to hate me more than ever now."

"He doesn't hate you," Vlad said gently, walking over to her and putting his arm around her. "He just needs to get used to the idea that I'm in love with a breather, that's all."

Erin froze. Vlad realised what he'd just said. Oh God, he'd really put his foot in it this time. _Why_ couldn't he just keep his big mouth shut?

Erin pulled away from him, trembling slightly. "You're in love with me?" she asked.

"No! Well, sort of-"

"Sort of? How can you be _sort of_ in love with someone?"

Vlad could sense her heart racing.

"I just mean…" he gave up. "Fine! I'm in love with you, ok?" he announced.

Silence.

Vlad wanted to look at Erin but found he couldn't. Instead, he stared very hard at a scratch on the dining room table. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. Erin was very close to him; he could feel her warm, soft breath on his face.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Vlad stared at her.

"You don't have to say that-"

"Yes, I do," she interrupted, still whispering. "I love you, Vladimir Dracula."

The use of Vlad's full name acted like a stimulant. He pulled her towards him and attacked her lips, desire overpowering him. Erin opened her mouth, allowing him access, and their tongues battled fiercely, each consumed with a passion for the other. Vlad could feel Erin's tears on his face, and he pulled away, worried that he'd hurt her. She was fighting for breath, the tears falling thick and fast now.

"I'm so sorry, Erin, I didn't mean-"

She shook her head, still gasping for air.

"Don't… be stupid…" she panted, "You could never…"

"Then why-" Vlad's question died in his throat as he realised.

She was happy.

He felt relief wash over him. She was happy! That's all it was! He wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "Some boyfriend I am," he teased, "I've made you cry twice today." Erin gave a watery giggle, nestling into his chest as she attempted to control herself.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I'm being stupid-"

Vlad pulled away again, tipping Erin's chin back so she was looking straight into his eyes.

"I love you, Erin Noble," he said to her quietly. "I've known for a little while now but I never quite knew how to say it. It didn't come out quite right tonight-" Erin laughed in agreement- "but it's true, and- and that's how it is," he finished lamely.

Erin laughed again, pulling Vlad back to her. She had never felt more content in his embrace than she did just then.

They stood like that for a little while, enjoying the feeling of being held by the person they loved. It was Erin who realised they couldn't stay there all evening. She pulled away; Vlad groaned at the loss of contact.

"They'll be coming in for dinner soon," she reminded him. Vlad groaned again- that meant eight o'clock was fast approaching.

"I think I'll skip training tonight," he said casually. "I really haven't got the energy."

"Bertrand won't be happy," she warned.

"There are worse things in the world."

"Not in Bertrand's books, there aren't- skip training and you might as well hand the stake to the slayer in front of you."

Vlad looked at her, surprised. "Where did you hear that?"

Erin grinned. She had been down to the training room on her own more times than she cared to admit to.

"Look, how about _I_ go down to the training room now and ask Bertrand for you?" she suggested. "It'd be better to ask him instead of just not turning up."

"You don't have to do that- I can ask him myself."

"Look at the state of you, Vlad! Your hair's a mess, your clothes are all creased- he'll think you've been in a fight."

"Or in a bed," Vlad shot back, grinning. Erin mimed swiping him over the back of the head.

"_I'll_ go and ask Bertrand," she said firmly. "I'll be able to see his new personality first-hand this way." She gave Vlad a quick kiss then pushed him towards the door.

"Just- just be careful, alright?" Vlad said to her.

"Don't worry! He knows you'd ash him if he touched me again." Vlad nodded, then sped back to his room. Erin sighed happily; she felt as if she was emanating ray after ray of sunshine, her joy touching every corner of the dark, gloomy house.

She made her way down to the training room, her feet treading the familiar path with ease. She remembered all the hassle that that dratted book had caused; she still wasn't entirely sure where Bertrand had got it from. It was all rather suspicious in her opinion- but that was chapter was closed now. It was time to move on and start building up the trust again.

Arriving at her destination, she took a deep breath. Despite what she'd said to Vlad, she was still a bit nervous about being alone with Bertrand. She walked in, squinting in the dim light. A voice behind made her swing round, startled.

"I was wondering when we'd be seeing you here again."

_TBC..._


	7. Chapter 7

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Today's final chapter! I just couldn't resist writing what came next before I forgot my ideas. Enjoy!_

Chapter 7

Erin snorted as the source of the voice stepped out of the shadows.

"I live here too," she pointed out, "I've as much right to be down here as you."

Ingrid's black eyes glinted in the candlelight. "I'm not sure Bertrand would agree."

"I don't really care what Bertrand thinks, to be honest." Erin refused to let the older girl intimidate her. She had Vlad's permission to be down here; that was enough.

"This place is sacred to Bertrand," Ingrid said coldly. "You wouldn't like it if he went snooping around your room."

"I'm not snooping!" Erin snapped indignantly. "And, if I recall, he's done that already." She was referring to the time when Bertrand and Vlad had discovered her slayer's gear under the loose floorboard in her room.

"Shouldn't you be snogging the face off my brother?"

Erin took a deep breath. She wasn't going to let Ingrid goad her. "I need to talk to Bertrand-"

"Well, he's not here. I suggest you go to look for him somewhere else."

Erin stood her ground. "I think I'll just wait for him, thanks."

A rather uneasy silence followed. Erin could hear the ticking of the clock and the cry of the wind as it rattled the window panes in the upper storeys of the building. She felt a chill engulf her and she repressed a shudder.

"So," she said finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, "what are _you_ doing down here?"

Ingrid smirked. "I don't think I need to explain myself to a breather."

"Has Bertrand been training you? Have the two of you been deciding how best to usurp Vlad?" Erin was talking recklessly now, only half-joking; it was time for her to stand up to Ingrid.

"Your imagination astonishes me," the vampire drawled. "It's a wonder you don't write a novel."

Erin sighed; Ingrid wasn't going to give anything away. She jumped as the clock chimed; seven-thirty. The rest of the family would be seated at dinner now.

"Looks like you've missed your chance," Ingrid said, gliding towards the door. "But don't worry- I'll make sure Bertrand knows you were down here." And she vanished.

Erin kicked the wall in frustration, grimacing as pain shot through her big toe. Ingrid had a way of getting under her skin that was equalled by no-one else, not even Becky. She limped towards the stairs- Vlad would have to ask Bertrand over dinner. She winced as she imagined exactly how that conversation would go; they'd be lucky if the dining room table remained in one piece.

"Why are you lurking down here, breather?"

Bertrand stepped out in front of her, blocking her path. Over his shoulder, Erin could see Ingrid smirking before she vanished again, presumably off to dinner. Silently cursing the older girl, Erin met Bertrand's eyes and gave him her best smile.

"I need to ask you something." Her voice rang out loud and clear around the training room. She could feel her heart rate increase and she willed it to slow; Bertrand would sense it and know that she was nervous.

"I haven't got time for you now, breather; Vlad's training starts at eight."

"It's about that."

Bertrand raised his eyebrows. Erin could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as his gaze pierced her. She took his silence as her cue to continue.

"I was wondering- well, Vlad was wondering- if maybe- just for tonight- he could have the night off?" She trailed off. She'd known it was no good as soon as she'd opened her mouth.

"And what makes him think that he deserves the night off?" Bertrand questioned, his face impassive.

"He was here till past eleven last night-"

"That's nothing to a vampire."

"He has school, he can't afford to fall asleep at his desk."

Bertrand laughed dismissively and turned away. He picked up one of his fencing swords and began examining it for scratches. Recognising she was beaten, Erin turned to leave.

"This training's going to help him in his future, Erin- in the scheme of things, being able to use a protractor isn't going to be a lot of use." He didn't speak harshly, and the almost cordial tone made Erin stop. Vlad was right- he did seem to have mellowed slightly towards her. The thought gave her more courage.

"He needs time to be himself, even if it's just a few hours. Being a vampire is hard enough without being the Chosen One as well."

"What would you know about being a vampire, breather?"

"I've lived in this house for six months now, Bertrand; if I didn't know anything about vampires you'd think me painfully unobservant."

Bertrand appraised her for a moment, then his face cracked into a smile. Erin was shocked- just what was going on with him?

"So… is that a yes or a no for skipping training?" she asked tentatively.

"A no," Bertrand snapped, all traces of a smile gone. Erin sighed irritably; she thought she'd been making some headway.

"But-"

Bertrand sped over to her, his face so close to hers that their noses were almost touching.

"Don't push me, breather," he whispered. Erin took a step backwards- she couldn't help it. He was more menacing when he spoke quietly than when he shouted.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," she told him, sounding a lot braver than she felt. "Vlad knows I'm down here and-"

"What makes you think I want to hurt you?"

The question stumped Erin. In all honesty, she just expected it from him. The secluded manner, the obsession with weapons- it all pointed towards a seriously unpredictable, seriously dangerous man.

"Well, you're not exactly nice to me," she said eventually, cringing at how pathetic it sounded.

Bertrand laughed. "Oh, grow up, Erin," he told her, moving back towards his sword. "You'll meet a lot of people in this world, the majority of who will not be very nice. It doesn't, however, mean they want to hurt you."

"You were going to drain me when you tried to make me open that book for you."

Bertrand suddenly snarled, and Erin took another step back; it looked as if she'd hit a nerve.

"I've drained a lot of people, Erin, so don't go thinking that makes you special."

Erin fought down the urge to hit him; he'd probably break her arm before she even touched him. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before she did anything stupid.

"Well, you obviously aren't going to give Vlad the night off, so I think I'll just go." She walked towards the stairs again, wanting nothing more than to be away from him. Bertrand didn't say anything; he seemed to have forgotten about her already. How Vlad put up with him on a daily basis was beyond her.

_TBC..._


	8. Chapter 8

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: So here's the first of this weekend's updates. I hope everyone's had a good first week back at school- mine has been absolutely manic- and I'm hoping to write a couple more chapters over the next few days. You'll have to bear with me, though, because I am overloaded with homework! Enjoy Chapter 8 :)_

Chapter 8

A week passed uneventfully: Erin scored 87% in the end-of-topic History test, Vlad managed to behave himself in lessons, and the pair saw so little of Bertrand that Erin began to wonder whether he had moved out. She wanted to tell Vlad what had happened in the training room, but, for some reason, every time she made up her mind to talk about it, she lost her nerve. It was Bertrand's out of character behaviour that had shaken her the most; if he had threatened her, she would have known where she stood. But his polite, almost friendly attitude put her on edge.

The pair were lying on Vlad's sofa one lunchtime, trying to summon up the energy to go to their next lesson, when she decided to make one last effort. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and turned to face Vlad. He looked at her reproachfully, pushing himself up.

"Just five more minutes, Erin," he wheedled, "We can skive off English once, can't we?"

"_I_ can- _you_ need all the help you can get. You still haven't got the hang of intrinsic and extrinsic literary approaches."

"Yeah, yeah," he yawned, "I've got plenty of time to get them sorted."

"Plenty of time?" Erin scoffed, amazed at his relaxed attitude. "The exams are in four months- you realise how important our AS results are?"

"Oh, do you ever let up?" he groaned. "You're going to work yourself into the ground."

He grasped her arm and pulled her back down. Erin sighed and gave in, snuggling into his chest and closing her eyes. Who cared about Bertrand? Who cared about school? Right at this moment, all she cared about was Vlad. She felt the weight of his hand on her head, and she smiled subconsciously, relishing the feeling of warmth that spread through her entire body. Whenever she was with Vlad, she felt safe- something she hadn't felt for a long time.

* * *

Vlad positively bounced down to training that night. He had spent the entire afternoon on his sofa with Erin, chatting and laughing and enjoying some rare alone time with her. She had fussed at first, unwilling to skip her lessons for fear of missing important class-work, but he had talked her round in the end.

He was quite good at doing that.

"Evening, Bertrand!" he called out jovially, as he entered the dank room. His tutor looked up, eyebrows raised.

"And what's put you in such a good mood?"

"Oh, nothing. Just looking forward to getting down to some hard work, that's all."

Bertrand's eyebrows were now raised so high that they were at risk of disappearing into his dark curly hair, but he didn't comment. He pointed mutely at the collection of fencing swords, before returning to pour over a large, hard-back book. Vlad's curiosity got the better of him, and he tried to peer at the book over Bertrand's shoulder.

"What you looking at? Not another Praedictum Impaver, I hope. Has Sethius got a cousin?"

Bertrand gave him the sort of look that scorches. Realising that the older vampire wasn't going to tell him anything, Vlad moved over to the fencing swords, selecting one at random. His mind was too busy replaying the events of the afternoon to focus on choosing weapons. He brandished it wildly, very nearly knocking a jar of ink off of a shelf, and earning himself another scathing look from his tutor.

"So, where have you been these last few days?" Vlad asked him, making random stabbing movements at the air with the sword. "We haven't had training for ages."

"Miss it, did you?" Bertrand asked dryly, the sword narrowly avoiding his left ear as Vlad attempted a complicated sweeping movement.

"I wouldn't say I _missed_ it," Vlad said, charging at an imaginary opponent, the sword held aloft. "I missed _you_, though," he added slyly.

Bertrand snorted, rolling his eyes. He slammed the book shut and grabbed the sword from Vlad after it missed his right arm by inches.

"Act your age, will you?" he snapped. "If the Grand High Council saw you behaving like this-"

"I don't _care_ what the Grand High Council would think!" Vlad shouted joyfully, dancing around the room, knocking books off of their shelves and kicking swords over. Bertrand cursed as they scraped across the flagstone floor. Vlad simply laughed- he was acting like a child, but he _felt_ like a child: delirious with happiness, drunk with contentment, he could no sooner act his age than Bertrand could find a sense of humour.

Finally, Bertrand had had enough. Grabbing Vlad by the wrist, he threw him across the room with all of his strength. Vlad hit the wall hard, cracking his head on the stone, his eyes unfocused. Blinking to regain his vision, he made to retaliate, but Bertrand entrapped him within a UV cage of light by simply clicking his fingers.

"Let me out!" Vlad snarled, practically spitting flames, "You have no right to do this to the Chosen One!"

"Oh, I- I'm sorry, are you- are you the Chosen One?" Bertrand asked sarcastically. "It's just all I saw was an immature five year-old messing up my training room."

"I think you'll find it's _my_ training room," Vlad shot back. "It's _my_ house."

"Well," Bertrand said, walking towards the door, "far be it from me to stay where I'm not wanted." His heavy footfalls made their way up the first flight of stairs.

"Stop!" Vlad shouted eventually. He couldn't stay here all night, and he wouldn't put it past Bertrand to leave him here till the morning. The footfalls paused. "I'm sorry, ok?" he said grudgingly. "I'll tidy everything up," he added, when Bertrand didn't respond.

Another pause, until Vlad heard his tutor returning to the room. Another click, and the cage vanished. Vlad glared at him; Bertrand smirked.

"I could have you staked for that," Vlad reminded him.

"You wouldn't last two minutes without me."

"I managed for seventeen years."

"Just."

Vlad ground his teeth in frustration- Bertrand had a point.

"_Fine_," he growled, defeated. He began to replace the books and swords, grimacing when he saw the scratches that had been made on the flagstones. Miraculously, the weapons themselves seemed to be unharmed.

"Can I go now?" he asked sullenly, after restoring the training room to order. Bertrand nodded, not even looking up, engrossed in the large book once more. Vlad stomped up the stairs, his good mood forgotten after a wasted evening. He knew he'd been behaving like an idiot, but that didn't mean that Bertrand had to be so smug about it. God, he could be a real pain when he wanted to be. And what was worse, Vlad knew that he enjoyed it.

He made to return to his own room, but instead made a beeline for Erin's. The rational part of him told himself to avoid her until he'd calmed down- he couldn't risk losing his temper around her- but he didn't want to bottle up his anger. It only caused arguments, between both he and Erin and the rest of the family.

He flung the door open, so hard that it banged against the wall.

Erin jumped about a foot in the air, her eyes widening in panic when she saw who was in the doorway. She was holding some sheets of paper in her hand, which she frantically tried to shove under her pillow out of sight.

Vlad's eyes narrowed, his suspicions immediately aroused. Erin wasn't a jumpy girl- what was she so desperate to hide from him?

He strode over to the coffin and reached for Erin's pillow.

"Vlad, don't-"

Erin clawed at his arm, desperate to prevent him from seeing what was underneath, but he shook her off. He grabbed the pillow and pulled it away. He heard her terrified gasp-

And immediately saw why.

A filled-in Cambridge application form lay crumpled beneath it.

_TBC..._


	9. Chapter 9

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: So I've broken the back of my homework and decided I had earned a couple of hours for writing. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Enjoy :)_

Chapter 9

Vlad picked up the form, his hand trembling slightly. He could feel Erin's shallow, shaky breaths on the back of his neck. He didn't read it- he was too angry to focus on it. Wave after wave of shock was crashing over him. Erin wanted to leave Garside. She wanted to leave _him_.

He couldn't take it in. He moved away from the coffin, the form still clutched in his hand. He began to pace the room, his agitation growing with every step. Erin watched him silently. The tension between the pair was unbearable

"Where are the rest of them?"

His voice was ice-cold, glacial and commanding.

"W-what do you mean?" Erin stuttered, her voice wavering out of control.

"The rest of the forms," he said, his voice barely controlled. He stopped pacing and faced her, staring straight into her eyes. They were sparkling with tears.

"There aren't-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" he roared, and Erin skittered backwards, looking terrified. "You won't just be applying to Cambridge- you'll need a few back-ups. Don't treat me like I'm stupid."

The tears had escaped now, and were making their way down Erin's cheeks, leaving glittering tracks in their wake. She pointed at the dresser with her right hand.

"In there," she whispered.

Vlad strode over to the dresser and wrenched the top drawer open. He pushed aside her underwear and balled up pairs of socks, but couldn't find what he was looking for. He moved onto the next drawer. Erin watched him all the while he was ransacking the unit; she seemed mesmerised by his actions.

Finally, after tipping the contents of the bottom drawer onto the wooden floor, Vlad spotted two sets of stapled paper. He also spied three prospectuses.

Cambridge, Durham and Hull. All hours from Garside. She hadn't even picked ones that were close by.

"Please, Vlad, I was going to tell you-"

"When?" Vlad demanded, rounding on her amongst the mess he had created. "When were you going to tell me? When you sent the forms off, when you got an interview, when you got an acceptance letter? Or were you just going to bring it up on the first day of term? 'Morning, Vlad. Oh, by the way, I'm off to university today. See you at Christmas!'"

"I didn't want to get your hopes up-"

"We should have filled them in together!"

"I don't even know if I'll send them off, ok?" Erin shouted, brushing her tears away fiercely. "Cambridge won't even look at me, and I still need to think about the other two."

"God, this is typical Erin, isn't it? Cards close to your chest, never confiding in anyone, never stopping to think about anyone else but yourself!" Vlad could feel the rage building up inside him. If he didn't leave pretty soon, he was going to snap.

"I _was_ thinking of you; that's why I didn't tell you!" Erin exclaimed. "You know how hard it is for me to open up to people-"

"Oh, spare me the heartache, please!" Vlad retorted, "It may have escaped your notice, Erin, but my life's not exactly perfect either. You've just got to deal with it!"

Erin glared at him. She was breathing heavily now, attempting to regain some of her composure.

"It was you who suggested university, anyway." Her voice was low, accusatory.

"Well, I've changed my mind." Vlad snapped. He needed to get out. He was very close to doing something he'd regret.

"You've changed your mind?" Erin asked, incredulous. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I don't want you to go! Is that such a crime?"

Erin looked furious. "I am not going to be some trophy girlfriend, staying at home whilst you go out and be the Great High Vampire or whatever you are!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's not 1950, Vlad! I've as much right to a life as you have!"

Silence descended on the room. Neither Erin nor Vlad looked at each other. The rain beat down on the roof, lashing against the windows. A steady trickle ran down the north-facing wall, forming a small puddle on the floorboards.

"God, we've been so stupid."

Vlad looked up. Comprehension was dawning on Erin's face.

"What do you mean?" he asked her quietly.

"Don't you see?" she said, beginning to pace the room herself. "This is all Bertrand's fault."

Vlad snorted. "Bertrand? Why, did he plant the forms in your room? Forge your handwriting on them?"

Erin ignored him. "I'm telling you, it's him… he's trying to break us up. It was him who suggested university… he's trying to get rid of me again!"

Vlad stared at her. The idea was ludicrous, to say the least. "When are you going to accept responsibility for your own mistakes?" he asked her coldly. "Don't go pinning the blame on Bertrand- he's got nothing to do with this."

"You said yourself he's been acting weird lately- maybe this is all part of his plan!" Erin sounded desperate now, but she looked Vlad in the eye determinedly. She wasn't going to back down easily. It only served to incite Vlad's anger further.

"There is no plan!" he cried, frustration bubbling over. "This has nothing to do with Bertrand, Erin, it's about you. You act all indifferent when I bring up university, I practically have to force you to even think about it- and then you go and order prospectuses and print off application forms behind my back! What is it about me that stops you from trusting me?"

Erin paused. Vlad doubted that she knew herself.

"Look, Vlad, we're just going round in circles," she said finally, her eyes threatening to spill over again, "I'm sorry that I went behind your back, but-"

"But what? I'm only a vampire so it doesn't matter? I'm only a vampire so I don't have feelings?" Vlad felt a lump rise in his throat. He wouldn't cry, he _couldn't_ cry…

Erin looked at him contemptuously.

"Well, if you're going to act like an idiot…"

She left the sentence hanging, turning her back on Vlad and moving towards the door.

Vlad didn't really remember how it happened. Even when he lay awake in his coffin, weeks later, replaying the scene in his head, it was all one huge blur. His rage had been boiling close to the surface throughout the argument, and, after hearing that final insult and seeing her walk away… he snapped.

His eyes darkened to the deepest black. He sped over to her, reaching out and grabbing her wrist with his left hand just before she left the room.

He saw the fear in her eyes as she spotted the fangs protruding from under his top lip. She struggled desperately, fighting to get away from him- Vlad tightened his grip, crushing the bones underneath his fingers. Erin screamed.

It was the scream that finished Vlad off. He felt his fury spike, every nerve in his body on fire. He raised his right hand- and backhanded Erin hard across the face.

_TBC..._


	10. Chapter 10

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

Chapter 10

It was as if time stood still.

Just for a second, just for a moment.

It was that moment when Vlad realised what he'd just done. He wanted to rewind, to go back to when he'd made the decision to go into Erin's room instead of his own. Heck, he wanted to rewind right back to that History class about the Somme. If he hadn't played up then, if he hadn't been sent out of the room at that very moment, then none of this would have happened.

All of sudden, as if deciding that Vlad had had enough time to think, time seemed to double in speed. Erin's head snapped back as the full impact of the blow hit her; she staggered backwards, colliding with the wall. Her knees buckled and gave way underneath her. She threw out a hand to break the fall- the hand that Vlad had crushed. She gave a strangled cry as her damaged wrist took the brunt of it.

Vlad just stood there, frozen, his smarting hand dangling uselessly at his side. He made no move to help her. He simply stood there, desperately fighting the urge to vomit. The faint scent of Erin's blood reached his nostrils, and he felt bile rise in his throat. He only just made it to the window in time. Throwing it open, he retched. He was clutching the windowsill so tightly that his knuckles threatened to burst through his skin. When he'd finished, he lifted his hand to his mouth and shakily wiped it with the sleeve of his t-shirt. He was dreading turning around. He half-expected Erin to have left whilst he was being sick.

But she hadn't.

She'd stayed exactly where she had fallen, cradling her injured wrist. Vlad looked at her face.

It was already beginning to bruise. A large, vicious-looking bruise, black and deep purple in colour, vividly contrasting with her pale face. Vlad knew from experience that it would only get darker and more painful overnight. He had split the skin on her cheek-bone: that was where the smell of the blood had come from.

She wasn't crying. She didn't look angry, or scared. Her face was impassive, a smooth mask hiding any emotion that might give her away.

Not knowing how she was feeling scared Vlad more than anything. He didn't know what to say, what to do. He just stood by the window, remorse and guilt tearing at his insides.

He'd hurt her.

It hadn't been an accident, it hadn't been unintentional.

He'd brought back his hand and struck her so hard that he'd made her bleed.

The thought made him retch again and he turned back towards the window.

He stood there for a few minutes, drawing in deep gasps of cool night air. The three-quarters moon scudded in and out of the clouds, keeping the courtyard outside of Erin's window in semi-darkness. The rain had slowed now, and only a gentle patter was heard on the roof.

Movement behind him caused Vlad to whip round. Erin had shifted her position, causing the floorboards to creak slightly. She looked at him for the first time. To Vlad's utter amazement, she gave him a smile.

"Well," she said quietly, "we had a good run, didn't we?"

Vlad felt as if he'd run into a brick wall.

She was breaking up with him.

He clutched the windowsill again for support, willing his legs to stay upright.

"You can't- please, Erin, I- I am so sorry-"

"I know," she said, "I know." Her eyes glistened in the candlelight.

Vlad moved over to her- he had to let her know how much she meant to him.

"Erin, please, don't- don't do this," he implored, tears filling his own eyes. "I am so, _so_ sorry, I don't know what happened-"

"I do."

Vlad stopped talking, shocked. He looked at her, and she gave him another one of those sad smiles.

"You're a vampire," she said simply. "You're probably the sweetest vampire there is, but you're still a vampire. You're coming into your full powers now and what with Betrand's training…" She trailed off, taking a deep breath. "You're unpredictable, Vlad," she continued bluntly. There was no malice in her voice, no hint of an accusation; only that terrible, terrible sadness that made Vlad feel as if he had been staked. "You're unpredictable, you're dangerous, and it'd be fine if you were with a vampire girl- but you're not. You're with me. Breathers are fragile, Vlad, and one of these days you're going to really hurt me. I know it's not your fault- you were born this way- but I can't stay here knowing that whenever you're angry I won't be able to defend myself."

Her tears still hadn't fallen; Vlad's were flooding down his face. She brushed them away gently- she had never seen him cry before.

"It's for the best, Vlad," she whispered. "We were always going to have an expiration date."

Vlad's chest was heaving. He couldn't understand it- _she _was the one who had been beaten yet she was perfectly in control.

"I won't let you go," he choked out desperately, "You _can't_ go." Erin reached up and stroked his hair gently, curling it around her fingers. "Erin, if you knew how sorry I am- you know I'd never hurt you, you know I'll never do it again-"

"Vlad, you can't promise something like that. One day, in a couple of months, you'll have had a bad day with the Council and you won't be able to control yourself. A vampire girl can protect herself- I'm not strong enough."

"I don't want a vampire girl," he whispered, "I want you." He reached up and touched her bruise lightly- she flinched, and pain shot through him, white-hot and almost unbearable. Guilt welled up inside of him again- he'd give anything, _anything_, to just erase this evening. To erase what he'd done.

Determination overtook him- he wasn't just going to sit here and watch her leave. He was going to fight for her, he had nothing to lose.

In one fluid motion, Vlad caught her lips with his, entangling his hands in her blonde hair. She seemed too surprised by the action to fight it, and she moaned and arched into him when he moved his hands to her back. Their tongues battled fiercely with each other, passion driving Vlad onwards. The taste of her strawberry lip-balm, the smell of her Herbal Essences shampoo seemed to intensify in Vlad's frenzy. Finally, Erin pulled away; Vlad always forgot that she needed to breath. She was panting heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The colour had rushed to her face, and her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed for a week.

Gradually, her breathing returned to normal. She pushed her hair back out of her eyes. Vlad moved in again, eager to keep kissing- but this time she stopped him, using her good arm to hold him back.

"No, Vlad," she told him, quietly but firmly. "That was goodbye."

If Vlad had been mortal, the colour would have drained from his face. He couldn't believe this was real. Self-loathing burned inside of him, and he repressed the urge to punch the wall. _He_ was the one who had hit Erin, _he_ was the one who deserved to be punished, yet here Erin was, making herself homeless because of his lack of self-control. He could have screamed at the unfairness of it all.

Erin seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Don't blame yourself, Vlad," she said. "We had a good run, as I said- I doubt many other vampire-breather couples lasted five months."

"Five months, two weeks, three days," he corrected her automatically. She laughed, and he was overwhelmed with the desire to kiss her again.

Erin pushed herself up, her damaged wrist making it difficult. Vlad held onto her arm as a precaution, just in case she overbalanced. The pair stared at each other for a moment, an awkward silence filling the room.

"Would you mind leaving while I pack?" she asked him eventually. Vlad felt a jolt in his gut- she was serious about leaving.

"I'll be next door if you need me," he told her. He moved to kiss her forehead automatically but stopped himself. He walked towards the door. "Erin?" he said, spinning around.

"Yeah?" She looked up.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

_TBC..._


	11. Chapter 11

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'd just like to re-iterate my thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far. It has now had over 1,000 views and the feedback I have received has been lovely. It really encourages me to keep updating. Enjoy Chapter 11!_

Chapter 11

Vlad stumbled back to his room, sitting down heavily on the metal coffin. He was shaking. He placed his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. It didn't stop hot, salty tears from running down his face. What was the matter with him? He never cried. He could feel a headache building- he tried to relax, taking long, deep breaths. He felt his frustration peak again and he grabbed the nearest object and hurled it across the room. It was his school calculator; it shattered when it hit the wall, fragments of plastic littering the floor.

Erin was next door, packing her belongings. In a few minutes she would be leaving Garside forever.

And it was his fault.

He was nothing better than a common thug, a wife-beater. He'd driven Erin away and he'd be lucky if he ever saw her again.

It had taken him a month to pluck up the courage to ask her out; even when he did, the interference of his father and Bertrand had put their plans on hold. It was cruel that their relationship, which had taken so many weeks to grow and evolve, had been shattered by a single action in a single second. The lies, the deceit, the betrayals that had characterised their friendship had given way to trust and love when they had taken it further. Vlad laughed humourlessly as he remembered that just over a week ago, they had admitted their love for one another for the first time.

A knock at the door brought him back to the present. He wiped his face quickly, and Erin entered, a rucksack slung over her shoulder. They stood there awkwardly, neither of them sure what to say to each other.

"I'm all packed," she said eventually. Vlad nodded, sucking his teeth. He didn't trust himself to speak. Erin shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, hoisting the bag further up her shoulder.

"Listen, Vlad-"

"Don't," he said harshly, turning away from her. He wanted her to go. He didn't want to have to look at her anymore. The bruise, not yet fully formed, would take up nearly the entire right side of her face.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back around- Erin was very close to him. She had abandoned her rucksack at the threshold of the room.

"Where will you go?" he asked her quietly.

"To my aunt's", she said, not quite meeting his eye. Vlad sighed, but let it go- he had no right to question her anymore.

"What about school?"

She shrugged, again not looking at him.

"I'll sort something out," she said evasively.

"Erin, if this is going to ruin your future, then you can't-"

"Yes, Vlad, I can," she said sharply. "There's nothing here for me anymore."

Vlad swallowed and nodded. Erin held out her hand. Vlad stared at it, hesitating for a fraction of a second before grasping it in his own. The formal gesture felt almost comical, when only a few hours before they had been kissing and laughing together.

The pair met each other's eyes, and, for a moment, nothing else existed for them except each other. Vlad lost himself in Erin's blue depths, savouring the feeling of her hand in his. He knew it might be the last time he held it.

Erin pulled her hand away, breaking the spell; she moved towards the door to pick up her rucksack.

"Do you want me to walk you out?" Vlad offered desperately. Erin shook her head.

"I think we've said everything we need to say," she told him softly. She blew him a kiss. "See you later, Vlad," she said.

"Yeah," Vlad whispered. "See you later."

A moment's pause, and then Erin was gone. Vlad listened to her footsteps receding down the corridor, getting fainter and fainter. He didn't move. He just listened for something, anything that would tell him that she wasn't leaving. That she had reconsidered and was coming back to him.

He heard her car start, and he slid slowly to the floor. The growl of the engine reverberated around his eardrums, until that, too, faded into the distance.

She was gone.

The only girl who had ever made him feel something, who had helped him to envision his future as a vampire ruler, was gone.

That was it.

Vlad suddenly sprang into action, jumping to his feet and throwing open the window. He could just about spot Erin's car driving away along the winding country lanes.

He couldn't just sit here and do nothing. He couldn't let her get away- she meant too much to him. He knew the person who could help him- but would he?

* * *

Vlad didn't think he had ever moved so fast. His feet pounded the path down to the training room; he could only hope that Bertrand hadn't retired for the night.

"Bertrand!" he shouted, crashing through the door. His tutor didn't even flinch. He was polishing one of the swords that had scratched the floor.

"To what do I owe this late-night pleasure?" he asked, examining the sword by the light of one of the candles. If he had been mortal, he would've strained his eyes.

"It's Erin," Vlad managed to say, his throat constricting as he said her name.

"What about her?" Bertrand asked carelessly. Vlad repressed the desire to run him through with the sword.

"She's gone." It was painful even to say it.

"Gone where?"

"Just gone! Left, packed up, cleared off, however you want to say it!" Vlad yelled. They didn't have time for this.

Bertrand stood up, looking mildly interested.

"Oh? Have the two of you had a fight?"

"Not exactly-"

"Breathers are all the same, Vlad. _Touchy_. You say one thing to them and they act like it's the end of their sad little lives."

"It's not as simple as that," Vlad said through gritted teeth. He was steeling himself, trying to pluck up the courage to tell his tutor what he'd done.

"Nothing's simple when breathers are involved, Vlad, I've told you enough times. Unless you're draining them," he added, a wicked smile spreading over his face. "_That_'s the easiest thing in the world."

Vlad shuddered. The thought of draining Erin was disgusting- yet he couldn't pretend that a small part of him didn't ache to taste her pure, sweet-smelling blood. He shook himself mentally- they were running out of time.

"Look," he said fiercely, "I need your help. Erin's gone and I need to get her back."

"If you thinking I'm going to play couples' counsellor-"

"NO!" Vlad cried in frustration. "Just listen to me, please!"

Bertrand cocked an eyebrow, but nodded at Vlad to continue. The young vampire took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I need you to hypnotise Erin."

_TBC..._


	12. Chapter 12

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This will be my last update until Saturday. I kind of need to plan where I want this to go now- so no pressure! I hope you all have good weeks- enjoy Chapter 12!_

Chapter 12

Bertrand did a double-take. It seemed that for the first time in his four hundred years, he'd been rendered speechless. He sat down heavily, running his hands through his hair. Vlad drummed his fingers on the edge of the table impatiently- they needed to get going.

"You need me to do what?" Bertrand said at last.

"To hypnotise Erin," Vlad repeated calmly. "I can't do it, obviously, so you'll have to."

Bertrand stared at him as if he were insane.

"Vlad, you need to think about what you're asking me to do here," he said slowly, as if he were talking to a very backwards four year-old. "If I hypnotised a breather, I'd be breaking the terms of the Truce; the slayers-"

"I don't care about the stupid slayers!" Vlad yelled, his anger returning in full force. Why couldn't Bertrand understand? "I don't care about the slayers, I don't care about the Truce; all I care about is getting Erin back."

His tutor appraised him for a moment, his eyes never leaving Vlad's. Finally, he sighed, with the air of a man resigning himself to the inevitable, and stood up.

"Where's she heading?"

Vlad felt a small flame of hope ignite around his navel.

"To her aunt's, but I think she was lying."

"Do you know the address?"

"No."

"Do you know where her parents live?"

"No."

"Do you know the addresses of any other relatives she might go to?"

Vlad racked his brains. The information Erin had told him about her past had been sparse at best; he had nothing to go on. He didn't even know any names.

"No," he said eventually. Bertrand sighed in irritation. "But we don't need addresses, we can just follow her!"

"Vlad, don't be ridiculous," Bertrand snapped. It was true that vampires were much faster than cars, but they had no idea where Erin was heading and she'd left nearly twenty minutes ago.

"Well, we can't just do nothing!" Vlad shouted desperately. "It's only to get her back to Garside- once she's here, I'll be able to sort this whole mess out." He knew Erin wouldn't come back of her own accord. "Please, Bertrand," he implored, "you're the only one I trust to do this." The others would probably make her walk onto a railway line or something.

"I'm sorry, Vlad," Bertrand said, placing a hand on the young vampire's shoulder. "It's just not feasible. She'll come back when she's calmed down, you'll see."

"She won't," Vlad said darkly, shrugging off Bertrand's hand and moving across to the bookshelf. He fingered the spines of some of the volumes, the dusty leather surprisingly cool to the touch. "She said there was nothing here for her anymore."

"Perhaps there isn't," Bertrand said softly.

Vlad glared at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means... that perhaps it's best that this- fight happened when it did."

"How do you work that out?"

"Well," Bertrand said slowly, obviously wondering how best to phrase what he was about to say, "Maybe it's best that you and Erin broke it off before you got too far down the line. If you'd got too- too _serious_ with each other then it might have been messy when it finally ended."

"Who says it would have ended?"

"First loves don't last forever, Vlad," Bertrand told him quietly.

"So you're saying that this is a good thing, then?" Vlad demanded.

"No, of course not-"

"You're saying that Erin and I were never going to be forever so we might as well just pack up now to save us the trouble later?"

"Don't be stupid, Vlad-"

"DON'T CALL ME STUPID!" Vlad screamed.

He was sick of it- sick of being treated like a child, of being spoken to like he was just some stupid kid who didn't know anything. He had the fate of the vampire world resting on his shoulders; the pressure he was under was immense, yet to his father and Bertrand it was just a bout of teenage angst.

Vlad dug his fingernails into the binding of one of the books, leaving marks in the leather. He needed Bertrand to understand how desperate he was to talk to Erin, to apologise to her, to hold her close and make her feel safe. The terrible guilt that gnawed at his insides wouldn't lessen otherwise.

"This is your fault," Vlad whispered suddenly. He needed someone to blame, someone to share his pain with. "If you hadn't been so horrible to her then none of this would have happened."

Bertrand scoffed. "That's what you were fighting about, was it? Me? Because I'll tell you one thing, Vlad: if Erin really has a problem with me then she would have left a long time ago."

"That's not the point! You freaked her out, you drove her away!"

"If she couldn't handle living with vampires then perhaps it's best that she's gone."

"You know what?" Vlad spat. He was teetering on the edge of recklessness now. "She was right about you. She said that you suggested university to try and get her out of the way and I didn't believe her- but you did, didn't you? You've always hated her, ever since she first arrived- you were going to drain her, for God's sake!"

Bertrand said nothing. If anything, he looked mildly amused. He picked up a new sword and began to clean it, the polish squeaking slightly against the metal.

"I sometimes forget you're only seventeen when you're down here with me," he said after a pause. Vlad stared; that wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. "You're raw, you're untrained- but you've got power like no other vampire I've ever met. Yet you're not willing to control it, to harness it to use it for good." He held the sword up to the candlelight. "If my services are no longer required here, Vlad, then I shall take myself elsewhere. If I am proving a strain on your family relations-"

"No!" Vlad said, panicking; he had obviously crossed a line. "I'm sorry," he muttered, squinting at his left shoe. "It's- it's not your fault that Erin's gone. It's mine."

Vlad closed his eyes. He knew he ought to tell Bertrand the truth- he wasn't exactly a saint himself- but he got the feeling that the older vampire wouldn't be very impressed with what he'd done. You could say what you liked about Bertrand- he'd tried to stake Ingrid, kidnapped Erin and fought with Vlad on numerous occasions, not to mention all of his infamous drainings- but as far as Vlad knew, he'd never hit a girl across the face before. He got the feeling that that was where Bertrand drew the line. Vlad almost laughed at that- the man had no problem draining people but he wouldn't raise a hand to them.

"She just needs time to cool off," his tutor said to him, beginning to pack the swords away. For the first time since he had arrived at Garside, he looked tired. "If she's got any sense, she'll be back in the morning acting like nothing's happened."

Vlad hesitated; then, recognising the dismissal, he made his way back up the stairs. He felt, if possible, even worse. Hypnotism had been a stupid plan, he realised that now- he had just been so desperate to get Erin back. He groaned out loud- she'd been gone less than an hour and already he was starting to crack up.

_TBC..._


	13. Chapter 13

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: A hard one to write... but enjoy Chapter 13 :)_

Chapter 13

Vlad breakfasted late the next morning. He hadn't slept at all- the night had been spent tossing and turning in his coffin, Erin's bruised face swimming before him every time he closed his eyes. The feeling of her bones cracking beneath his fingers, the sound of her scream both haunted him; he shuddered at the memory. He was lucky that he hadn't broken her neck.

To his surprise, the rest of the family were still seated at the dining table. All looked rather ruffled; the Count's usually sleek black hair was uncombed, Ingrid's clothes were slightly creased, Renfield's shirt was stained and Wolfie was asleep with his head on the table. Vlad couldn't see much of Bertrand- he was buried behind his Vampire Times.

"Morning," he muttered, taking a seat opposite Wolfie.

"Is it?" the Count snapped. Vlad glanced at the grandfather clock: it was nearly half-past eleven.

"Why are you all still here?" he asked, pulling a plate of toast towards him. He stifled a yawn; he'd never been so glad that it was a Saturday.

"Maybe because none of us got a wink of sleep last night," his father growled, glaring down the table at his son.

Vlad looked at him, confused.

"Why not?"

Ingrid snorted. "How could we with you and Erin screaming at the tops of your voices all night long?"

Vlad sighed. So they had heard.

"Firstly, it wasn't all night long," he told her coolly, "and secondly…" He couldn't think of a secondly.

Ingrid smirked, blowing on her mug of Type A to cool it. "That bad at it, were you?"

"What do you mean?"

Ingrid's grin widened. She spoke with the air of someone about to drop a rather large bomb-shell.

"Well, the pair of you spent the entire afternoon on your sofa- I just assumed that you'd have Round Two later that night."

The Count choked on his mouthful of blood. The butter knife slipped from Vlad's fingers and landed with a clunk on the table. Renfield, busy banging the Count on the back, looked utterly bewildered. Only Bertrand remained calm; he hadn't even looked up from his paper.

"You were doing WHAT?" The Count roared, spit flying everywhere as his fangs slid down. Ingrid sat back smugly, in prime position to watch the chaos unfold. "I told you, Vladimir, I will not have- _that_ going on in my home!"

Vlad rolled his eyes; he wasn't in the mood for his father's melodramatics.

"We weren't doing that," he told him in a bored voice.

"Why should I believe you?" the Count demanded immediately; his fangs were still lowered.

"Because-"

"Because he was with me," Bertrand interjected, finally looking up from his newspaper. The entire table stared at him- they had forgotten he was there. "Vlad and Erin had an argument so he decided to do some late night training while his emotions were close to the surface."

There was silence. The Count looked unconvinced, but no-one seemed to want to argue with the tutor.

No-one except Ingrid.

"Well, that's all very well," she said smoothly, leaning forward and resting her arms on the table, "but it doesn't explain all the banging and crashing, does it?"

Vlad looked up, his eyes boring into hers. How much did she know that she wasn't letting on?

"What banging and crashing?" Bertrand asked, looking from Vlad to Ingrid and back again.

"You mean you didn't hear?" she asked delightedly. Bertrand shook his head, looking thoroughly nonplussed.

Ingrid tossed her hair back. "Well, there was shouting, some heavy footsteps, a scream…" she said, counting them off leisurely on her fingers.

"Eavesdropping, were you?" Vlad asked her coldly, though he felt dread rising up inside of him- Ingrid was in complete control of the situation and loved it.

She continued as if he hadn't spoken.

"And then there was something that sounded very much like-" she paused for effect- "_skin on skin_, if you get my drift." She looked around the table meaningfully, her eyes glittering with excitement.

There was an uneasy silence. No-one quite knew what Ingrid was getting at. Vlad cast around desperately for something, _anything_ to say that would steer them away from this hazardous ground- but his mind had gone blank. All he could do was pray that Ingrid was just winding him up.

"If you haven't got anything sensible to say, then I suggest you clear off," he told her harshly, glowering at her across the table. They were venturing into dangerous territory now and she needed to stop before things got out of hand.

The Count, however, held up a hand for silence; his attention, for once, was focused on his daughter.

"'_Skin on skin_'?" he repeated suspiciously. She nodded gleefully; she hadn't had the chance to cause this much disruption since Sethius. "I don't understand."

"Oh, don't you, Daddy?"

Ingrid knew.

Vlad didn't know how, but she knew, and she wasn't going to spare Vlad the humiliation of exposing him to the entire household.

He shot her another look, a desperate, almost pleading look; he needed her to stop, his father and Bertrand were getting more suspicious by the second- but Ingrid needed far more than a look to stop her now.

"_Think_, Daddy," she crowed, sounding the happiest that Vlad had ever heard her, "for once in your miserable, dull little life, _try_ to use an ounce of your _meagre_ intelligence. There's shouting, there's footsteps, there's a scream…"

"What's going on, Vlad?" Bertrand demanded, rattled- but Vlad couldn't speak. He thought he might be sick if he opened his mouth

"Either tell us what you're talking about, Ingrid, or clear out!" The Count snarled.

Vlad was consumed with panic now, his knuckles white as he clutched the edge of the table- Ingrid was about to play her trump card.

"Oh, yes," his sister said, her voice shaking slightly with hysteria, "I suppose I ought to mention that I saw Erin leaving here last night with her bag packed."

Vlad closed his eyes- she was going to see this through to the end.

"She had a bruise on her face; a pretty nasty one at that." Vlad heard Bertrand exhale sharply as realisation hit him.

Ingrid gave Vlad the most contemptuous look she could muster in her state of ecstasy, and played her final card.

"Do you understand now, Daddy? Vlad hit Erin."

_TBC..._


	14. Chapter 14

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am attempting to get this story wrapped up within the next six chapters, which will give me twenty in total. I just need to work out how I actually want it to end! I hope you all have good weeks and enjoy Chapter 14 :)_

Chapter 14

Vlad felt as if the ground was falling away beneath him. If he hadn't been sitting down, his knees would have given way.

He couldn't quite believe what Ingrid had done. After everything they had been through together- Stokely, her blood poisoning, Sethius- she was still hell-bent on crushing him.

Not in a stake-through-the-heart, UV-bomb kind of way- oh no. She'd grown subtler, more sophisticated in her methods of destruction. She'd realised that the best way to bring Vlad down was to isolate him from everyone he needed. All she'd had to do was to utter three words- then sit back and watch him fall.

Ingrid had got her vengeance and it was sweet.

He had never seen jealousy and bitterness manifest itself in such a way before- there was sibling rivalry between them, there always had been, but what Ingrid had done ran deeper than that. Vlad had always found Ingrid a trial, an irritating itch that never quite went away, but even after the murder attempt he hadn't realised how much she hated him.

Vlad had never really stopped to think about how difficult this Chosen One thing must be for her. While he was busy lamenting the loss of his 'normal' life, bemoaning his notoriety and cursing the responsibility that had been thrust upon him, she was repeatedly disregarded and degraded, even more than she had been back in Stokely. She'd stolen their father's vintage blood, bitten hoards of breathers in a desperate attempt to receive the slightest scrap of attention- but, as usual, the men of the house had ignored her utterly.

Vlad almost felt sorry for her- until he met the hard, accusatory stares of Bertrand, Renfield and his father (Wolfie was, miraculously, still asleep).

Vlad couldn't take it. He wasn't going to sit there all day and be lectured- God knows he felt awful enough already. He pushed back his chair and strode to the door.

The Count blocked his path.

"Where do you think you're going?" he growled, a muscle in his cheek twitching horribly.

"Out of my way," Vlad replied tonelessly.

"Not until I know exactly what happened last night," his father hissed. Vlad stood firm.

"That's between me and Erin," he told him flatly.

"I don't think you understand, Vlad," the Count continued. "I'm not asking you. We're having this conversation whether you like it or not."

"I don't think we are," Vlad snapped. He needed to be somewhere quiet, somewhere he didn't have to face the disappointment of his family, somewhere he could _think_….

"I am still your Regent-"

"I know, Dad," Vlad interrupted, suddenly weary; he couldn't face another argument. "We can have this out later but right now, I just need some time. Please," he added, meeting his father's eyes, "I need to work out how to make it up to Erin."

His father appraised him for a moment, his cold eyes hard and expressionless, before nodding stiffly. Vlad barely registered Ingrid's snort of disbelief before speeding away, back upstairs. If ever there was a moment that required rational thought, it was this.

* * *

Vlad sat in Erin's room, his back against the wall and his arms wrapped around his knees. His eyes were closed. He needed to concentrate. He had always struggled with telepathy, but now, more than ever, he needed to clear his mind and focus solely on the task ahead.

He had to try and make a connection with Erin. She could be anywhere- he doubted she was even still in Lancashire- but hopefully she wouldn't have her defences up against him. Even if she had, breathers' minds were far easier to penetrate than those of vampires.

"Vlad."

He jumped violently, cracking his head on the wood behind him. Cursing, he struggled to his feet, eyeing Bertrand warily. His face was impassive, and it set Vlad's teeth on edge.

"I'm trying to connect with Erin," he said through gritted teeth, hoping he'd take the hint and leave him alone.

"You won't," Bertrand told him, leaning on Erin's coffin. "She'll be guarded against you- she's not stupid."

Vlad scowled.

"It's worth trying," he argued, "I need to find out where she is."

"So you can finish the job?"

Vlad felt as if he had missed a step coming downstairs. He stared at Bertrand- he had never spoken to him like that before.

"You know I'm not like that," he told him quietly. "I was angry after what happened in training, I lost my temper and I took it out on her. It was a stupid mistake and I wish it had never happened."

"Did she leave straight away?"

Vlad nodded mutely. He turned away, starting to pick splinters out of the wall. He rolled them in between his fingers before discarding them onto the floor.

"I told her I was sorry," he muttered after a pause, more to himself than to Bertrand. "I told her that I'd never do it again. But she-" he swallowed, willing himself not to cry in front of his tutor, "She said she didn't feel safe with me anymore."

"Can you blame her?"

Vlad closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the rough wood. He wished for the umpteenth time that life had an undo button.

"Just- just help me to get her back, will you?" he implored, unable to keep the pleading note out of his voice. "I can't do this Chosen One thing without her."

He felt Bertrand's hand on his shoulder. He turned around.

"What you did to Erin, Vlad-"

"It was terrible, I know, you don't have to-"

"Let me finish."

Vlad quietened, his gaze fixed on Bertrand. The older vampire had a peculiar expression on his face.

"What you did to Erin was unforgivable. An element of trust, a feeling of security between you two- it's gone, and it'll be damn near impossible to get back. Erin will always be on edge whenever she's around you- she might say that she's forgiven you, but they'll always be a part of her that will remember last night for the rest of her life. Like they'll always be a part of her that will remember what I did to her," Bertrand added, and Vlad was shocked by the bitterness in his voice.

"You need to show her that she can trust you again, Vlad. You need prove to her that she _is_ safe with you."

"How can I do that when I don't even know where she is?"

Bertrand sighed. "Think, Vlad! You need to remember everything she's ever told you about her past- one obscure detail, one trivial fact, may be what helps us to find her."

Vlad sat down again, resting his head on his knees. He screwed up his face in concentration. Bertrand was right- it was only the minutiae that would help them now.

_TBC..._


	15. Chapter 15

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am desperately thinking of how to end this effectively, so expect my posting to become even more sporadic as I work out a worthy ending! This story has completely changed from its original intention, so the title 'Vengeance' doesn't really fit anymore: therefore, I would welcome any suggestions for a new title! Thanks and enjoy Chapter 15 :)_

Chapter 15

The grandfather clock ticked loudly out on the landing.

A slight breeze, the only evidence of last night's storm, rustled the leaves of the evergreens in the courtyard.

The gentle murmur of voices could be heard below, along with a creaking of floorboards as Bertrand paced the room in agitation, occasionally sending kicks at the skirting board when his frustration peaked.

To Vlad, the noise was infuriating; he was trying so hard to think, to dredge up any detail that might give them the smallest clue to where Erin was, but he just couldn't focus. He felt as if his brain was made of cotton wool, as if it were surrounded by an impenetrable fog that clouded and confused his thoughts to the point where he wanted to put his fist through the wall.

Bertrand kicked the skirting for the fifth time, and Vlad snapped.

"Can you stop that?" he shouted angrily, "I'm trying to think!"

Bertrand glared at him. "I'll be down in the training room if you think of anything," he said, a little frostily, and walked towards the door. He paused, seemingly struck with inspiration, and turned back to start fiddling with the gramophone on Erin's dresser. She had always loved music- Vlad remembered lying in his coffin at nights and hearing Beatles songs playing softly through the wall until well after twelve o'clock.

He shook his head slightly- he was talking about her as if she were dead.

He looked at Bertrand questioningly. His tutor shrugged.

"Music helps me to think sometimes."

After a great deal of scratching and guttering, the record began to play. A haunting, almost ghostly melody poured out of the gramophone; Vlad smiled slightly as he recognised the Transylvanian folk song.

He had heard this song not so long ago- the school cleaner, a Transylvanian immigrant, had been singing it in the corridors. Vlad remembered what that fateful evening had led to: the Carpathian Feast, the discovery that Erin was a breather, and their first kiss. He supposed that he had a lot to thank that cleaner for.

He closed his eyes, reliving the feel of Erin's warm lips on his, her eyes fluttering and her breath hitching as they touched. He could almost feel her smooth skin beneath his fingers, almost smell the tantalising scent of her blood. He sighed involuntarily.

His eyes suddenly snapped open and he sat bolt upright. He had cast his mind back further, further than that kiss in the cage, further even than his confrontation with the Count. He remembered sitting in the dining room with Erin, her on the sofa, him on the floor, testing each other on the Battle of Trafalgar. They had argued over Hardy's last words, Vlad insisting that he had it on good authority from Bertrand that they had been "Kiss me", whilst Erin was positive that they had been "Kismet".

They had laughed, both adamant that they were correct; Erin had tried to prove it to him by showing him the page in her book where she had taken the notes. Vlad had said that they didn't count because they had been taken at her old school- Erin had only just started at Garside at that point, and had had to use some of her old classwork in order to keep up with the rest of them.

Vlad clenched his fists, screwing his eyes shut again- before jumping to his feet, shouting in triumph.

"BERTRAND!" he roared. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through him, pulsating to the point where he thought he would burst. At last, at _last_, they had a lead.

His tutor appeared immediately.

"_Yes_?" he asked coolly, clearly not thrilled by the unceremonious summons.

"Old school," Vlad stammered, too thrilled with his own genius to be coherent, "I know her old school!"

"Whose old school?"

"Erin's! I know what it was called, I know the name! It was on her book, that time we were revising for History in the dining room!"

"I don't understand-"

"We can use it! We can find out where it is, then go there and track her down!"

"What's to say she'll have gone back there?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all- but it's all we've got." Vlad looked him straight in the eye. They had a lead- that was all that mattered right now.

Bertrand sighed, pulling the needle off the record with rather more force than was necessary.

"And what's the name of this school?"

Vlad beamed at him. "Mount Grove Grammar."

* * *

It had taken a good deal of persuasion to get Ingrid to lend them her laptop. Vlad had thought that it was the least she could do after outing him at the breakfast table, to which she replied that it was a fine thing _him_ teaching _her_ about right and wrong.

Bertrand had broken up the fight by promising that they'd have it back within the hour, to which Ingrid begrudgingly agreed. She never used it anyway.

"Do you know how this thing works?" he asked Vlad, looking at the device with disdain.

"Course," Vlad said, setting it down on the dining room. "We use them all the time in school."

The laptop took a couple of minutes to start up, and a couple more to load the internet. Bertrand was pacing again by this time, muttering savagely under his breath about "useless breather technology".

Finally, Google appeared on the screen. Vlad quickly typed 'mount grove grammar' into the search bar and hit enter, wincing slightly as nervousness throbbed through him. He groaned as the results came up: there were eleven Mount Grove Grammars in the UK.

"Well, we can discount any in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for a start," Bertrand said at once, "She wouldn't have come that far."

That left them with seven. Vlad felt hopelessness engulf him; they couldn't comb the length and breadth of the country, not if they weren't certain that she'd gone back to her old school. He exited the browser gloomily, resisting the inclination to crush the mouse into a fine powder.

"Back to the drawing board," he sighed.

"Not so fast," Bertrand said, taking the mouse from Vlad and re-searching the school. "We can narrow these down easily- you just have to have a little patience."

Vlad snorted. Bertrand, patient?

"We can't go traipsing around seven schools, Bertrand," he told him. They'd draw too much attention to themselves.

"We won't have to," the tutor said grimly. He began to look at the websites of each of the English schools, Vlad marvelling at how good he was at using the technology.

"Carlisle only takes boys and Nottingham only takes girls," Bertrand remarked after a moment. Vlad quickly made a list of the seven locations and drew a line through both cities; the school would have to be mixed if both Erin and Ryan had attended.

"Exeter doesn't go past sixteen, and Dorset doesn't either."

Two more lines. That left them with three: Leicester, Middlesex and Kent. Vlad felt a flash of hope re-ignite, and looked at Bertrand expectantly.

"Where shall we start?"

_TBC..._


	16. Chapter 16

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Longest chapter yet! After much deliberation, this story will now be retitled 'Redemption'. I think it makes more sense considering the direction the plot has gone in. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far- this story has now received over 2,000 views. Enjoy Chapter 16!_

Chapter 16

"This has got to be one of the most stupid things we've ever done."

Vlad and Bertrand were crouched behind a large oak in the grounds of Mount Grove Grammar Leicester, squinting across the playing fields for any sign of Erin. They were glad of the shade of the tree, for the weak February sunlight was occasionally breaking through gaps in the clouds, causing the two vampires to spit and curse.

"I _said_ we should have waited for a rainy day," Bertrand muttered under his breath, causing Vlad to roll his eyes; he hadn't stopped moaning since they'd arrived.

"Well, we're here now, so can't you just shut up and be helpful?" Vlad hissed back, feeling his spirits rise for a second as he spotted a blonde head, then sink again as he realised that it wasn't a sixth former.

It had been Bertrand's idea to visit the three schools as soon as possible- he had said that the longer Vlad waited to see Erin, the more awkward and difficult it would be when they finally met. Vlad didn't ask his tutor how he knew so much about relationships- he wasn't sure that he wanted to know- but he agreed with him all the same; he needed to see his girlfriend soon else he'd go crazy.

So far, this was only the second school that the pair had visited; it was difficult to wangle time off from Miss McCauley, owner's son or not, and there was no point in visiting on a weekend. It had taken them a little while to locate the three schools on the map (Bertrand's navigation skills were a little rusty), but they'd arrived in Leicester in good time. Any minute now, the bell would ring for afternoon lessons, and they'd be able to hunt properly.

Middlesex had proved a waste of time, not least because it was actually called Mount _Grave_ Grammar. Vlad almost laughed as he remembered the look on Bertrand's face when he'd realised that their four and a half hour car journey had been for nothing. Vlad had rather enjoyed it- he didn't often venture outside of Garside Grange, and was impressed by the finesse with which Bertrand drove. There seemed to be no end to his tutor's skills.

A dig in the ribs drew his attention back to the activity in front of him. A trickle of teenagers, most of them around Vlad's own age, was emerging from the front door of the school. They were carrying tennis rackets and making rather more noise than was necessary: the girls shrieking and laughing, the boys shouting and jeering.

Vlad knew that if Erin wasn't here then they only had Kent left to search, and if _that_ proved fruitless it would be back to clutching at straws again. He felt a wave of determination- they _would_ find her here. They had to.

It was almost as if the universe had read his mind.

Erin was walking out towards the tennis courts, her racket held aloft, her blonde hair glowing as a shaft of light squeezed its way through a slit in the clouds and reflected off the back of her head. She looked slightly thinner than Vlad remembered, and she was shivering slightly despite the stillness of the day, but she nevertheless shouted something inaudible to the group of girls in front. They turned and laughed, gesturing to her to join them.

It pained Vlad to see her happy. It was selfish, not to mention childish, but a small part of him had hoped that she'd be lost without him; that the minute he appeared she'd run into his arms and tell him how much she'd missed him.

That she'd made a mistake by breaking up with him.

But she seemed to be doing just fine. Vlad supposed that after the intensity of living with the Draculas, being surrounded by breathers was a relief for her.

The break-up had been his fault and his alone, he knew that; Erin should have confided in him about the forms, but he had had no right to hit her. Domestic violence was never a solution, not even in vampire culture. He could just about make out her bruise from where he was- it hadn't faded. It looked even darker and more vicious than he remembered. He wondered if any of the girls had asked her about it.

By this time the PE teacher had arrived. She set a bucket of tennis balls down on the concrete, blew her whistle, and gave a few short sharp orders. The class began to run around the court in single file.

"I did not drive three hours down here to watch a class of sweaty breathers do PE!" Bertrand hissed, standing up and brushing himself off fiercely. He'd obviously had enough of skulking around- he only did that if something crucial was at stake, and Vlad seriously doubted that he considered his and Erin's relationship 'crucial'.

"Haven't you seen her?" he whispered back, tugging on Bertrand's sleeve and pointing Erin out to him. She was lagging at the back of the group, red in the face and out of breath. Vlad tried not to think about how short her gym skirt was.

"Well, we know she's here- that's a start," Bertrand admitted begrudgingly, leaning against the tree. He looked at Vlad expectantly, as if waiting for instructions.

Vlad felt as if he'd taken a punch to the gut. All he'd focused on was finding Erin- he hadn't given a moment's thought to what would happen when they did, and it looked as if Bertrand hadn't either. He swallowed, racking his brains desperately.

"Erm… well, um… we could…" he stammered, but Bertrand was no longer listening.

"Right, let's go over to her-"

"Are you insane? We can't just walk over there and start chatting!"

"Give me one good reason why not."

Vlad stared at him in disbelief. The culture gap between them had never been so prominent- nowadays you couldn't just wander onto school property willy-nilly, especially if it wasn't your school. Vlad leaned against the tree trunk, willing a master plan to pop into his head; Erin was so close now, but they couldn't quite reach her.

"Just- just wait it out a bit," he pleaded eventually. "I just need to work it all out."

Bertrand scowled, then flung himself down on to leaf-strewn floor. He slipped a small book out of the pocket of his cape.

"Let me know when you think of something," he said, not looking up. Vlad exhaled by way of an answer, then twisted his body around to watch the class. They had started to play tennis now, and Vlad's eyes desperately sought out his girlfriend. She had her back to him, driving the ball over the net with surprising force. She cried out in triumph as she landed a particularly vehement backhand, and Vlad smiled- she had always been competitive.

Suddenly, Vlad found he couldn't look at her. She was happy- she was content being back in her old life and who could blame her? Who was he to take her away from it? He didn't know much about her past- he didn't even know if her parents were still alive- but the one thing he did know was that he had never seen her so relaxed, so carefree, as when she was surrounded by breathers. She wasn't living in constant fear of being bitten, of being degraded and used- she could just enjoy being a seventeen year-old, her only worries essays and exams.

The sun had retreated behind its cloud once more, and Vlad shivered involuntarily. He could feel the chapter drawing to a close, feel the page turning no matter how hard he tried to stop it. Erin had moved on- she had accepted that they weren't a good match and resumed her normal life. Why couldn't he, Vlad, do the same? He had plenty to live for- he was the most powerful vampire in the world, the Chosen One- but that wasn't enough.

None of it meant anything, none of it made any sense without Erin by his side.

She kept him sane. She was rational yet impulsive, sensible yet reckless.

Vlad had thought that the trials they had endured together over the past few months had made them indestructible. He knew so little about her, but they had learnt to trust each other completely.

And now he'd lost her. There was nothing more to be done.

An extraordinarily loud shriek of laughter made him jump. He craned his neck back around, feeling nothing but contempt for those silly, juvenile little breather girls-

And then he saw something that would have made his heart stop should he have had one.

_TBC..._


	17. Chapter 17

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! Laptop's been fixed (free of charge- wahey) and none of my data was lost so here is Chapter 17! I'm hoping to get Chapter 18 up sometime today. Enjoy and thanks for sticking with me- I apologise again for the wait._

Chapter 17

Erin was running towards him, her pale face flushed from the cool breeze and her eyes shining. Her fringe was slightly damp with sweat despite the chilly February air, and she was panting from the small incline.

"It's over there, Erin!"

"Hurry up!"

"I think it went behind the tree!"

Erin ignored the shouts of the girls below, continuing her search for the lost tennis ball in the long grass further up the hill. Now she was closer, Vlad could see the bandage wrapped around her right wrist; he wondered how she managed to play with it. It must be sprained at the very least.

For the briefest of moments, Vlad had believed that she was running towards _him_, preparing to embrace him like the long-lost pair of lovers they were. Now, Vlad had a choice. He could leave her to find the ball and return to her classmates, and try to catch her at the end of the lesson. This would give him more time to work out what he was going to say, how he was going to convince her to give him another chance.

Or, he could ambush her now. It wasn't how he had imagined their reconciliation, but she was alone at least, and who knew if he would have an opportunity like this again?

She was nearing the tree now, her quick eyes scanning the ground. Vlad took a deep breath to steady himself- it was now or never- and stepped out from behind it.

Erin's slayer instincts served her well. She stiffened, slightly hunched over in her search for the ball. Vlad could sense her heart-rate quickening; he could almost see the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

Slowly, painfully, Erin straightened up, and turned to face him head on. Her eyes met his. The colour drained from her face and she stumbled backwards, her tennis racket slipping from her slack grip and landing with a clunk on the hard winter ground. Vlad instinctively took a few steps forward in case she fell- he would be there to catch her. He needed to be close to her. She had left two weeks ago today and if he didn't feel her warm presence in his arms soon, he was going to crack up.

"Erin…" he said, but she held up a hand to stop him. She was trembling slightly, her fringe fluttering as she took deep breaths in an effort to calm herself.

"How did you find me?" she whispered. Vlad wasn't sure if she was angry or relieved.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," he replied cryptically, but Erin didn't crack a smile. She ran her uninjured hand through her hair, wincing slightly as her arm brushed against her bruise. She looked utterly lost for words.

Vlad opened his mouth to speak again, but the girls below had resumed their shouting.

"Come on, Erin!" one of them yelled, tapping her racket against her foot impatiently. "How long does it take to find a ball, for God's sake?"

Erin started towards them, then stopped and turned back to Vlad, an agonised expression on her face. She looked as if she was undergoing an intense internal struggle. It was clear that her heart was battling fiercely with her head; he decided to make things easier for her.

"Look, you go back to them, and I'll meet you here at the end of the day, ok?"

She looked at him uncertainly, mistrust displayed plainly on her face.

"And if I don't come?" she asked, testing the waters slightly.

"Then I'll have to come in and find you, won't I?" he told her firmly. It wasn't an empty threat- there was no way he was leaving without at least talking to her, not after they'd come all this way.

"_Fine_," Erin snapped, straightening her polo shirt and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I finish at four. But I'm not going to hang around if you're-"

"I'll be here," Vlad told her grimly. He'd wait all night if he had to.

She sighed, then bent down to pick up her racket. She tossed her hair back, throwing Vlad a quick glance before turning to make her way back down the hill.

"Wait!" Vlad shouted. Erin looked over her shoulder at him expectantly. He clicked his fingers, and the missing tennis ball flew towards him. He caught it easily.

"Forgetting something?" he grinned, tossing it her. Erin rolled her eyes, and Vlad felt a welcome jolt of familiarity; he'd missed her defiance. She stalked away, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "show-off" under her breath.

"Erin!" he called again, this time in all seriousness

"_What_?" she snarled, swinging round.

"Do you- do you think you should be playing? You know, with your wrist and everything?"

She glared at him. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you," she said, a definite edge to her voice. She marched off towards the courts, and Vlad sighed; maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought.

* * *

"Does it still hurt?"

Erin shrugged.

It was ten-past four, and the sun was just beginning to sink behind the beech trees that lined the boundaries of the school. The pair were sat beneath the old oak, Erin picking at the grass sulkily and Vlad twisting the hem of his t-shirt anxiously between his fingers. He hadn't been able to get much out of her so far; he'd expected her to be guarded, but her barriers had proved to be impenetrable.

"Nice place, this," he remarked, gesturing towards the school building. Erin made a non-committal noise.

"This was where I came before Garside. It's alright- no vampires."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" he teased, hoping to make her smile. She looked at him coldly.

"You tell me."

Vlad felt a wave of irritation. He, or rather Bertrand, had driven for three hours to talk to her yet all he was getting was sullen responses.

"I thought we were good?"

Erin snorted.

"Moved on quickly, haven't we?"

"I didn't mean it like that."

They lapsed into silence once more. Vlad could hear the blue jays calling to each other in the distance, their song so pure and yet so futile. Everything was so easy for them- they didn't have to deal with school-work or training or murderous tutors or domestic violence. Vlad's eyes flicked back to Erin's bruise; within a few weeks, it would have faded almost completely. Now, though, it was still angry and vibrant, a complete antithesis to the paleness of her skin. He longed to kiss it, to somehow try and soothe it with his affection.

Almost of its own accord, Vlad's arm stretched out towards her. His fingers hesitated slightly, before coming to rest on her shoulder. Erin jumped slightly at his touch. She looked at him mutely, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she lifted her own hand to push him away. Vlad quickly interlocked their fingers, squeezing hers gently but firmly to let her know that he wasn't going to relinquish his hold. Erin blinked, a slight crease appearing above her eyes, the only sign of her confusion.

Vlad took a chance. He leant closer to her, until he could feel her warm breath on his face- and kissed her.

_TBC..._


	18. Chapter 18

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here's Chapter 18, as promised! It means so much to me that you guys take the time to write such lovely reviews- we are fast approaching 3,000 views and when Redemption is finished (only two more chapters to go!) then I am going to get my head down and read some of your stories. I am sure that they will put mine to shame! I'm hoping to update on Wednesday or Thursday but don't hold me to that- whatever happens, though, the final two chapters will be up by this time next week. Enjoy :)_

Chapter 18

Erin didn't respond. She seemed to be too in shock at what Vlad was doing to pull away. After a few seconds, however, she had placed her hands on Vlad's shoulders and was attempting to push him off.

But Vlad was strong, much too strong for a breather to fight. He placed a hand on the back of Erin's neck and embroiled the other in her hair, preventing her from moving her head away from him. It was cruel- but if she wasn't going to listen to his words, he would have to communicate his heartache through the kiss. She continued to struggle against his vice-like hold, before emotion overpowered her and she kissed him back, just as hungrily. Both strove for dominance, both contended for control; they had apologies to offer, explanations to give- but neither were brilliant at putting their feelings into words. They had spent their entire lives building walls around their feelings, in an attempt to shield them from the incessant stream of pain, and it seemed that just when they managed to remove some of the bricks, the walls grew higher elsewhere.

Erin's hands had moved from Vlad's shoulders to the hem of his t-shirt. She began tugging at it violently, desperate to get it over his head without breaking the kiss. In one fluid motion, Vlad removed it, giving her a few seconds to catch her breath before returning his lips to hers, his own hands fiddling with the buttons on her school shirt. Erin gasped as Vlad pushed the shirt away from her shoulders, the cold air hitting her exposed back and arms. Vlad was thankful that she hadn't put her tie back on when she'd changed after PE; he had never been very good at unknotting them.

The kiss was climaxing now, becoming more passionate, more desperate. Vlad trailed his hands down Erin's bare back, fingering every vertebra in her spine; he grinned as she arched into him, moaning, her own hands exploring his face and neck. He jumped slightly as she found the sensitive spot on his neck- she stroked it gently, causing Vlad to throw caution to the wind and reach for the clasp of her bra…

Erin shot away from him, catching him by surprise and almost overbalancing him. She snatched at her shirt, clutching it to her chest in an effort to protect her modesty.

"What the hell was that?" Vlad demanded, pulling his t-shirt back on furiously. Had she not understood what he'd been trying to tell her?

"You- you were about to- I can't believe- Vlad!" she finished, her voice rising in indignation.

"What?" he yelled defensively. He didn't understand.

"You were going to take my bra off!" she hissed, her cheeks turning, if possible, even redder as she said it.

"You started it," Vlad said childishly, "You took my top off first."

"That's different," Erin snapped. She had buttoned her shirt up wonkily, and gave a cry of frustration as she pulled it apart to start again.

"How? How is it different? Do you think that only girls are sensitive about their bodies?"

"Don't be stupid," she snarled, combing her fingers through her hair in an attempt to get it to lie flat, "but at least ask me first, don't just dive in!"

"You hypocrite!"

"What did you just call me?"

"ENOUGH!"

Both Erin and Vlad jumped, looking around wildly for the source of the new voice. Bertrand stepped out of the shadows of the beech trees, looking angrier than they'd ever seen him.

"How long have you been there?" Erin said in a small voice. Vlad could practically feel the heat radiating from her; he wasn't feeling too cool himself.

"Long enough," the tutor replied grimly. He turned to Vlad.

"Wait in the car, will you?" he asked quietly. "I want to have a chat with Erin."

"If you think I'm going to leave you alone with her-"

"Do you want this mess sorted out or not?"

The vampires glowered at each other for a moment, neither prepared to back down. Vlad felt his fangs lower and he bared them slightly, noticing Erin take a slight step back out of the corner of his eye. Bertrand, however, stood his ground, and Vlad eventually gave in.

"_Fine_," he spat bitterly. "But if you touch her, then-"

"I'm dust," Bertrand finished in a bored voice. Vlad held his gaze for a few more seconds, before vanishing into the rapidly encroaching dusk.

Bertrand turned to face Erin, who shifted uncomfortably under his piercing gaze. Bertrand often gave Erin the impression that he could read minds- the notion did nothing to ease her anxiety.

"What do you want?" she asked him finally. The temperature had dropped dramatically in the absence of the sun, and she shivered involuntarily. She wished that she'd brought her jumper out with her.

"Here," Bertrand said suddenly, removing his cape and offering it to her. Erin stared at him.

"I don't understand."

"You're cold- I'm offering you my cape. I know breathers are stupid, but-"

Erin snatched the cape out of his hands, glaring at him. She placed it gingerly around her shoulders, expecting it to try and bite or strangle her at the very least. When it remained completely harmless, she grudgingly muttered her thanks and flopped down onto the grass. She became even more disconcerted when Bertrand sat down beside her.

"What's your game?" she asked him, eyes narrowed.

"Game?" he enquired tonelessly. His anger had abated now and he seemed to be quite indifferent.

"Don't pretend," she snapped. "Driving Vlad all the way down here, offering me your cape- you've been increasingly nice to me for weeks and I want to know why. It's creepy." She leant back against the tree trunk, wincing as she felt the bark digging into her back.

"You make Vlad happy," Bertrand said simply. "I must obey the Chosen One-"

"The Regent," Erin corrected sharply. "Vlad won't be eighteen until July."

They returned to silence once more. Dusk was really falling now- it couldn't be later than five o'clock, quarter past five latest, but already the cold winter stars could be seen in the steely, grey-blue sky. The blue jays had stopped singing. Erin grimaced- her and Vlad's shouting had probably frightened them away.

"He doesn't function without you, Erin," Bertrand said quietly, seemingly as much to himself as to her. Erin sat up, startled- Bertrand was often blunt but he was never that blunt.

"I thought all breathers were stupid?" she reminded him coolly. Bertrand shrugged.

"Most are. You're prone to stupidity on occasions- don't deny it," he said, as she opened her mouth to protest.

"I would have thought that you, of all people, would have been the first to tell Vlad that there are plenty more fish in the sea."

"Well, then you thought wrong."

"Did I indeed?" Erin's eyes were blazing now. "So if I'm so _stupid_, then why are you so keen to help Vlad to win me back?"

"Because you're the only thing left on this earth that reminds me of my sister."

_TBC..._


	19. Chapter 19

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the penultimate chapter of 'Redemption' and it's the longest yet- it was an absolute killer to write so I hope it's ok! The final chapter will be up before the weekend is out. A couple of people have asked me about a sequel and although I wasn't intitially planning to write one, I'm going to use an idea I had for another story as the sequel. I'll give you some more information at the end of the final chapter. Enjoy Chapter 19!_

Chapter 19

For some unexplainable reason, Erin was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to laugh. The statement was so dramatic, so sensational, yet said in such a careless way that it sounded utterly ridiculous. Bertrand couldn't possibly have a sister. He'd never mentioned one, for a start. It would be impossible to keep something like that hidden for such a long time; Vlad would have known, surely, and he would have mentioned it to her. Bertrand never received any letters, any phone calls; the notion that he had a sister was absolutely absurd.

Erin didn't know what to say. She didn't want to contradict the tutor, but she wasn't going to go along with some crazy fantasy either. She settled on playing for time.

"Your sister?" she questioned politely. Bertrand noticed the restrained tone; his gaze hardened.

"You don't believe me." It wasn't a question.

"Surely- surely we would have seen her if you had one?" She wasn't quite sure how to proceed without causing an argument. "She's never been to visit, has she?"

"She's dead."

The situation was now about fifty times more awkward.

"I'm sorry," she ventured feebly. Bertrand ignored her. Erin could tell that he hadn't spoken about this to anyone; Bertrand wasn't a man to wear his heart on his sleeve.

"How old was she?" she asked, pulling the cape tighter around herself as the night breeze lifted their hair and rustled the tops of the trees.

"One hundred and twelve."

"Is that all?" A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Was it… you know- an accident?"

Bertrand turned to her, his eyes tunnels of the deepest black.

"And what do you mean by that?"

She suddenly realised what her words must have sounded like.

"Oh, no- I wasn't- I didn't think that-"

"Because I would never, _never_ do that to my family-"

"I know!" she cried defensively. She had a brother- she knew what the bond between siblings was like.

A hush had descended across the grounds. Erin could hear the faint slamming of car doors and the revving of an engine as the deputy head started off for home. She looked at her watch- it was nearing six. The school would be deserted now. Only the hum of the generators and the creak of the old boiler would be any sign of life.

"She was killed." Erin jumped; she hadn't thought that Bertrand would continue. "By her boyfriend. Manslaughter, the court called it, but I knew better. Murder would have called for ritual staking- but Iago Valmantas had a lot of friends on that jury. Or, at least, vampires that he could bully into delivering the verdict he wanted."

Erin stared at him, appalled. Bertrand's hands were shaking slightly; how had he managed to keep something like that to himself?

"Did it happen recently?"

Bertrand snorted. "If you can call the 18th century recent. Things were less stringent back in those days- throw the judge a few favours and he'd acquit you, no matter what the evidence."

So he'd had just under three hundred years to dwell on it, to fester and brood upon the unfairness of it all. And it had made him bitter. The man sat next to Erin wasn't blinded by grief; he wasn't still aching from his loss. His heart had been hardened by hatred for the man that had got away.

"Why did he do it?" she asked him quietly. Now she'd heard the beginning, she had to hear the whole story.

"He used to beat her." Erin felt a cold, swooping sensation in her stomach. "It wasn't uncommon in our culture back then. It had gone on for about 18 months before she finally decided to call it quits. He couldn't handle it. He took the sharpest, deadliest stake he could find and drove it straight through her heart." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "She never told anyone that he was hitting her. Vampires heal quicker than breathers do; I never saw a trace of a bruise or a cut. Not until the last few days."

Now Bertrand had started, he couldn't stop. He needed to release those hundreds of years of pent-up frustration and confusion and pain.

"He'd broken her wrist during an argument. She never was a good liar; I could tell immediately that Iago had done it. I wanted to go after him, to dust him in the most painful way possible, but she insisted that it wasn't his fault. She was convinced that it was _her_ fault- that she'd made him do it. And I was so angry, that-" Bertrand swallowed, a slight tremor in his voice- "that I stormed out. I slammed the door behind me… and I never saw her again."

Erin couldn't understand how he was speaking so calmly. She remembered when she thought she'd lost Ryan- the mere sight of him, so helpless and vulnerable in the trunk of her car, had been enough to reduce her to tears.

"I've got her ashes. Not all of them, but a good half of what was left. They had to get rid of the ones they'd used after the trial."

Erin felt sick. She didn't want to listen to this anymore. It was horrific.

She supposed that this was what was behind Bertrand's aggressive behaviour; he hadn't been able to get closure. The acquittal of his sister's killer hadn't given him the peace of mind that he so desperately needed- the sense that justice had been done. He pushed everyone away, lest the same thing happen again, and, in the process, his sense of isolation only fed his violent streak.

There was still one thing that confused her, though.

"What's this got to do with me? You said I remind you of her- it doesn't explain why you've been so nice to me recently."

Bertrand smiled grimly. "Doesn't it?" He sighed; Erin felt her heart pang with sympathy. "You are so like her, Erin. You're feisty, argumentative- unwilling to take no for an answer," he added, and Erin grinned in spite of herself. "And you've got the same weakness: you love someone you shouldn't way too much." Erin's smile faded slightly- he was talking about Vlad.

"I couldn't stand the fact that you were bringing her back into my life; I didn't want anyone or anything reminding me of her. Reminding me of what I'd done. I left her when she needed me the most- and I hated you for forcing me to remember that. Every time I saw you, I saw Seraphim-" Erin assumed that that must be his sister's name- "and every time I saw you with Vlad, it reminded me of Iago and what he'd done to her. I wanted to make your life hell, to make you so miserable that you'd leave. Heck, I was prepared to kill you- just so I could keep my demons locked away.

But then I met your brother. And I realised that killing you would only inflict my pain onto someone else- someone younger, someone still struggling to accept who and what he was. Vampire or no vampire, I doubt he would've been able to handle it.

To be perfectly honest, Erin, the reason I've been so nice to you is because I've been feeling guilty. I can't say that I approve of Vlad's choice of a girlfriend, or even that I particularly like you- but what happened to Seraphim wasn't your fault, and I shouldn't have tried to relieve my own pain by forcing you to feel some too."

The moon was out now, casting its ghostly light across the boughs of the oak tree. It was full; Wolfie would have transformed.

Owls hooted occasionally, taking advantage of the early dark in order to hunt for their prey. Erin wondered if the Count was amongst them.

Bertrand was a broken man. He'd had to undergo something terrible, then been forced to watch from the side-lines as greed and fear caused a miscarriage of justice. He'd spent three hundred years blaming himself, with no-one to confide in, no-one to lean on for support; it was no wonder that he was unstable.

Erin hesitated, before removing the cape from around her shoulders and handing it back to Bertrand. He gazed at her for a moment before taking it, his fingers brushing slightly against hers.

The last time he had touched her they had been in very different circumstances, yet Erin felt no animosity towards him now. He wasn't a bad person- psychotic, perhaps, and irrational, but mainly just very, very lonely.

Erin stood up. Bertrand followed her lead, brushing blades of grass and dead leaves off of his clothes. They avoided looking at each other- before a thought occurred to Erin and she spoke, her voice louder than she had intended it to be.

"Are you saying that I should stay away from Vlad?" She didn't think that she could. She was still scared of him, she still wasn't sure that she could trust him- but she knew that she still loved him.

Bertrand appraised her for a moment. His piercing gaze no longer intimidated her; it seemed to be more of a thought process than a calculation now.

"Vlad loves you, Erin," he said finally, if a little reluctantly. "I don't profess to understand love- love that isn't for one's family, anyway- but since you've been together he's been coming on in leaps and bounds in the training room. He's more confident, more sure of himself- and the last thing that vampire kind needs is an insecure leader."

"How do you know that he won't-?" She stopped before she gave herself away.

"That he won't hit you again?" Bertrand finished. Erin tensed, but she didn't ask how he knew. "Vlad made a mistake, Erin; like you made a mistake in not telling him that you were a slayer." She noted the use of past tense. "He's sorry, and I think you know that. Just give him another chance."

"How can you say that after what happened to your sister?"

Bertrand paused, and Erin bit her lip, wondering if she'd crossed a line. But the tutor didn't seem to be angry.

"Iago didn't love my sister, Erin- he loved the control he had over her, the way he could manipulate her and reduce her to tears whenever he'd had a bad day. Vlad's still young, but he's learning how to control his Dark Side. It's a phase all vampires go through, and most give in; I did, Ingrid did, the Count did- but Vlad won't. He's a fighter- and that's why he's the Chosen One."

Erin held his gaze for a few seconds, but she could hear the truth and the sincerity in his words; he may not like her, but he wanted to do right by Vlad.

And a small part of her believed that, despite all his talk, he wanted to do right by her too.

_TBC..._


	20. Chapter 20

_DISCLAIMER: see Chapter 1_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: The final chapter! Another killer to write. Enjoy :)_

Chapter 20

Vlad was pacing beside the car, his trainers crunching on the gravel drive as he strode briskly up and down. As a vampire, he couldn't feel the cold, but he still shivered as a cool wind lifted his fringe and caused his unzipped jacket to billow out behind him.

What the hell was Bertrand doing? In all his time at Garside, the less the tutor had seen Erin, the better- so why, all of a sudden, did he want to speak to her alone? And _why_ was it taking so long? Vlad wanted to be home before sunrise.

He stopped his pacing, resting his elbows on the roof of the car and closing his eyes. He needed to connect with Bertrand telepathically. He tried to concentrate, clearing his mind of everything but the message he was trying to send, but Erin's flushed, breathless face kept swimming before his eyes.

He could taste her strawberry lip-balm.

He could smell her Herbal Essences shampoo.

He could feel the smooth, bare skin of her back as he ran his hands over her spine…

Vlad shook himself mentally. If he wasn't careful, he would end up sending _that_ to his tutor. He took a deep breath- an old habit he hadn't shaken- and focused on Bertrand.

_Hurry up… I want to get her home… what are you doing…?_

He wasn't sure whether it had worked, until he felt his tutor's mind brushing against his:

_On our way… get the heater on… she's pretty cold…_

Vlad rolled his eyes- Bertrand had the car keys.

He folded his arms, leaning his back against the cool metal of the car and tapping his foot absent-mindedly. He had been stupid to let Bertrand talk to her alone- the tutor would either have turned her, just for the hell of it, or filled her head with such utter rubbish that she'd no sooner come back to Garside with them than sample Renfield's cooking.

He thumped the car in frustration, wincing as he saw the dent he had made in the passenger door. Patience had never been his strong point.

Just as he made up his mind to go and look for them, he spotted two dark masses, one tall, one small, silhouetted in the moonlight. They were emerging from the main part of the school. Vlad tensed, just in case they were strangers, but he recognised them as they drew nearer.

"You took your time," he shouted irritably.

"I told you to put the heating on!"

"You've got the car keys!"

Bertrand scowled, but threw the keys to Vlad, who deftly caught them and wrenched the passenger door open. He began fiddling with the heating, accidentally turning the radio on a few times so that Coldplay and Otis Redding blasted out across the grounds. Erin giggled.

"You two have a nice chat, then?" he asked icily. His eyes swept Erin for signs of injury, paying particularly close attention to her neck- if Bertrand had laid so much as a fang on her, he would stake him with whatever weapon he could find in the vehicle.

"I wouldn't say nice," Bertrand retorted sardonically, "Informative, certainly."

"One lovely heart-to-heart and it's all water under the bridge?"

"Bertrand's been lovely, Vlad," Erin told him quietly, causing the tutor to make a disgusted noise. Her lips were still slightly swollen, her hair tousled, but she looked beautiful to Vlad; her pale skin was gleaming in the light of the full moon.

Erin had lied about being a half-fang; she had been a slayer, and had attempted to slay the Dracula family more than once. But she had always failed; she was too loving, too compassionate, to be able to follow through with any form of vengeance.

And Vlad- Vlad knew what he had done. He had promised to protect her from anyone and everyone, but had, in a fit of temper, hurt her himself.

As the pair shifted awkwardly, avoiding each other's gaze, Vlad wondered whether they could ever move past what they'd done. Would they be able to forgive and forget- or would it be the elephant in the room, an unspoken yet constant reminder of the pain they had inflicted, albeit unwittingly, on the one they loved?

Vlad just didn't know. He didn't know whether two, three months down the line, it would all become too much and they'd call it a day.

But what if they were, as those American rom-coms called it, the 'real thing'? He and Erin had a connection- both had been rejected by their kin for not fitting the mould, the mould that had been picked out for them at birth, and she was the first and only person that Vlad felt he could truly talk to about anything. Feelings, family… she was his rock.

She hadn't meant to hurt him- she had been scared. She'd been naïve thinking that she could slay the Draculas, then had fallen head over heels and got in too deep.

Vlad couldn't blame her for being a slayer any more than she could blame him for being the Chosen One.

Their eyes met, and Vlad knew that this was decision time. He could let her go- or prove to her that she could trust him, that his Dark Side was under control and always would be.

"I love you, Erin," Vlad burst out, ignoring Bertrand's bristle and sigh of impatience. He was going to do this now; it was his last chance. "You know how sorry I am for what happened, and I completely understand if you never want to see me again- but just- just take a minute to think about us. What we've achieved, what we _could_ achieve for vampire kind if we stay together. It was you and I against Sethius- together we made peace with the slayers- what am I going to do if anything happens again and you're not there?"

"Defeating Sethius was a group effort," Bertrand muttered acidly; Vlad ignored him again.

"Please," he implored, barely concealing the crack in his voice, "We can get through this. We _have_ to."

Erin looked at him, her eyes glassy and her face expressionless. She was giving nothing away, and Vlad could normally read anyone like a book.

The suspense was unbearable. Vlad wanted desperately to invade Erin's mind, to try and get an inkling of what she was thinking, but he knew it wouldn't help matters. This was Erin's decision, and he would respect it, whatever it was.

She was walking towards him now. Vlad closed his eyes briefly, bracing himself for the excuses and the apologies and the goodbye hug.

But they never came.

Dropping her rucksack at Vlad's feet, Erin reached up, stretching until she was on tip-toe, and brushed her lips softly, chastely, against his. The tenderness of the gesture surprised him, and he leaned in for more, but Erin pulled away, resting her forehead against his.

"No, Vlad," she whispered, "Not yet. I need time- we both do."

She made to move away, but Vlad grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against him. His eyes searched her face.

"What did Bertrand tell you?" he asked her, his voice dangerously low. If he had poisoned her mind against him…

To his surprise, Erin laughed.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Vlad," she giggled, brushing his fringe back, "I just meant- I don't want us to go too far while we're still wary of each other." They needed to strengthen their relationship before they reached the same level of intimacy that they had had before.

Bertrand cleared his throat, and the pair jumped; they had forgotten he was still standing there.

"We've got about a three-hour car journey back so if you don't mind…"

"What about Erin's car and all her things?"

"We can sort all that out later," Erin said, breaking away from Vlad's hold, looking longingly at the warm interior of the borrowed Ford Fiesta. Vlad grinned- she was obviously eager to get home.

* * *

"I love you too, you know," she told him as they drove down the M6, her head resting on his chest. They were both in the back seat, but that didn't stop Bertrand's very audible snort from reaching them.

"Won't anyone worry? With you just disappearing like this?"

"I left a note for the head teacher- told her I had urgent family business to sort out. We can give her a call and explain the situation when everything settles down."

Vlad smiled. "You think of everything."

"Someone has to- you're the brawn, I'm the brain," she teased.

They made good time- the roads weren't busy, and they arrived at Garside just after midnight. Indicating to Erin to be quiet, Vlad led her through the back entrance while Bertrand sorted the car out. They crept up the stairs, wincing at every creak of the rotting floorboards. Miraculously, they made it to Vlad's room without incident; Vlad assumed that his father and Ingrid must be out hunting.

"Before I forget, some post came for you while you were away," Vlad whispered to her, taking an unopened letter out of the drawer of his dresser. Erin looked puzzled; she never received any post, not since her and Ryan had parted ways.

Vlad sensed her heart rate surge and her breathing hitch as she spotted the postmark.

"What is it?" he asked her.

She didn't answer. She moved away from him, opening the threadbare curtains in order to read the letter by the light of the moon. Her fingers trembling slightly, she pulled it out of the envelope.

All the colour drained from Erin's face. The envelope slipped from her fingers onto the floor, lying face down, hiding the postmark and handwriting from Vlad's sharp eyes.

She screwed the letter up into a tight ball, before throwing it with all her strength across the room. The tears were beginning to course down her face now, her chest heaving with the effort of keeping herself under control.

Vlad was utterly bewildered.

"Erin, what…?"

She pushed past him, flinging the door open and fleeing from the room. Vlad heard her own door slam further down the corridor.

He hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to invade her privacy, but if she was this distressed then he needed to know what was going on.

He made his way silently across the room to pick up the envelope. He didn't recognise the postmark- a small black symbol, reminiscent of that used to represent recycling. The handwriting was also unfamiliar, so neat and small that it could have been typed.

The screwed-up letter had rolled underneath his wardrobe. He scrabbled about until his hand touched paper, drawing it out alongside half a pound of dust and cobwebs. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, before unscrewing the tightly compacted ball.

He read it quickly, scanning the page for the words 'death' or 'injury' or 'ill'. He stopped when he reached the final line.

Vlad blinked furiously, trying to fight down the surge of panic rising inside him like bile, and read the letter again.

And again.

The letter slipped from his slack fingers, and Vlad had to sit down on the closed lid of his coffin to steady himself.

He couldn't take it in. After everything that had happened, why were the Slayers' Guild doing this to them?

Why had it taken them three months to get in contact?

He bent down and read the letter for the final time, hoping against hope that he'd got it wrong.

He hadn't.

Erin had been charged with espionage.

_FIN_

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: And so ends 'Redemption'. I'd just like to re-iterate my thanks once again to everyone who has read and reviewed this story- it's been lovely to receive so much positive feedback, especially as this is my first FanFiction. The first few chapters of the sequel, which will be entitled 'Repercussions', will be up by next weekend; I should think it will be of a similar length to this story. I am also going to get my head down and read some of your stories, which will doubtless be much superior to my own. Thank you all so much once again- until 'Repercussions'!_


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